Secrets
by SweetStories11
Summary: ZUTARA Katara isn't with Aang,Zuko is alone Iroh is gone. They are both searching for the same thing in the fire nation village Tochigi. When someone finds out, their lives are at stake. Can they set aside differences and help each other? BETTER INSIDE!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** New Zutara fic! I know you will like it! But before we begin, I must tell you that this fic is going to have a darker theme than my other ones. Be prepared for violence, and details that might be 'gruesome'.

This first chapter can act like a prologue if you so please, because it will explain everything you need to know! I hope you don't bail on this fic, just because there wasn't anything zutarian about this chapter! I promise you, this IS a Zutara fic! lol

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar or anything associated with it. I do own this plot and anything that is different than the story in ATLA, is my idea! So **no** jacking! Thank you!

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**Secrets **

_Chapter 1_

The gray clouds rolled along in the sky, unceasing, not letting any sunlight shine through. It was the end of the day, so it wouldn't matter anymore. Darkness crept silently through the village, spreading shadows upon everything and everyone. Soon, all of the villagers would be heading home, or going to a tavern for an evening out. Loud sounds of rumbling laughter could already be heard in the distance. The village was surrounded by thick forest. And not only were the tall trees like gates to the village, but two people lived there, for now, almost like guardians of the night. Both unaware of the other; both with the same objective, well almost.

Katara watched the day come to an end up on the hill that was near the east side of the village. There wasn't much she had to do that night. But her mission had to start sooner or later. She had finally gotten a tip, and she would follow it. Her thoughts came to rest on two people, Sokka and Aang. It had so long since she had seen them, and it hurt her inside everyday, not knowing what had become of them. A while back, the three of them had to be separated. Aang had grown up a lot within the time she was with him, and Sokka had heard news of their father. It was agreed that Sokka would go find their father, and help out with the war effort. He would try and find a way to help Aang if it was possible for him. Aang still needed some training in earth bending, and then he had to find a fire bender to learn from. Katara thought that it would be easier to find a fire bender willing to help, if the two of them split up. And that is what happened. Aang was now somewhere, hopefully alive and well, and Katara was here, in the well-known fire nation village of Tochigi.

Standing upon the same hill, at the northern part of Tochigi, was the exiled fire nation prince. Zuko looked up to the sky and he could feel the haunting presence of a storm. But it was very miniscule, and most likely there wouldn't even be any rainfall. Even so, Zuko was suddenly filled with thoughts of his uncle on their ship. During one particular storm, he had acted as a human lightening rod, directing the bolt of lightening to the water, so as to protect the ship. He had looked a bit funny with his fried gray hair, and at the thought Zuko smiled slightly. Iroh had always been such a kind-hearted man, all the time, thinking about others and not himself. That was all in the past though, Zuko had to learn to move on. Zuko had lost Iroh when his own father directed his arrest and execution. He would have been caught as well, but because of his uncle's determination to protect him, Zuko was alive now. However, he was living as an outcast, a wanted man, and he had to hide his identity. There was much that the fire prince learned because of all that had happened to him. His father, was not a father, but a heartless beast, imitating to be a human. And his nation, turning its back on him, meant that he would turn his back on the nation. Zuko was not on their side anymore. The war was pointless, and it was clear the only reason it was put in place was because of the hunger for power and dominance. It disgusted Zuko when he finally realized he had been a puppet for his father's games of catching the avatar. Now, there was nothing more that he wanted than to get revenge on his father. To do that, he had to risk his own life, and enter the village of Tochigi.

Both of them took their disguises and put them on. Now it was almost pitch black outside, and they fit in perfectly. The laughter continued to boom out from one particular tavern in the village. Katara dodged in and out of the streets, until she finally got to it. Zuko on the other hand, preferred to get there by skipping from roof to roof. Either way, they both found themselves hidden among the shadows of the same tavern, still with no knowledge that the other person was there as well. The men gathered close to each other in two groups, so Katara kept close to one, and Zuko to the other. It was a big tavern and there were most likely around one hundred people there. So since each group had fifty people, it was very easy for the two to go unnoticed.

"Well, I say it don't matter! A fat old bastard she was!"

An enormous raging laughter erupted from the group Katara was with. She rolled her eyes, as she saw them all clinking together their glasses of rum. It would be a while before they would talk about the important things she needed to hear about. On the other side of the tavern, Zuko was barely able to stand still. These weren't the drunks; instead, they were all smoking on pipes and cigars. The fumes made his eyes water, and he wanted badly to cough, but none of them were coughing, and if he did, attention would be brought to him automatically. So he had to keep it inside his lungs, all of the horrible smoke. But he thanked Agni when they finally started to talk about something interesting.

"That's not possible! I say you are mad!"

"I'm not mad! I'm telling you all, there is such a thing!"

"Oh yeah, how do we know you are bluffing? How do we know you are not trying to _scam_ us?"

Many of the men agreed, and then gave a mistrusting look to them old man in the middle. His white hair was tied back, and his beard hid his strong neck. He was a retired general, Zuko thought of his uncle, but pushed the thought aside. The old man looked a bit nervous, but then cleared his throat.

"I am not bluffing! I've heard of it from a most reliable source! And I've seen it as well!"

The men started to hush in all around him, and the old man smirked.

"That's right. Now you want to know, don't you?"

"Yes! So, how can we get it?"

…

Katara's eyes widened when the drunkards finally started to talk, about something other than a women's features.

"It would take you all out in a minute!"

"Even in seconds!"

"Well, what does it do?"

This was it. Finally her search would turn up to be worthwhile. Spending the past couple of weeks in Tochigi showed Katara how much she should appreciate the time she was given with Sokka and Aang. The people here weren't kind, and she had to hide the fact that she was a water bender.

"Let's just say that if you've got an… _enemy_ that is a bender, you won't have to worry at all. It will take them out in… seconds."

The drunkards fell silent, as did the smokers. Zuko's eyes widened when he had heard it. A jewel made for disabling a bender's abilities. It was just too great to think it were true. And the smokers thought the same exact thing.

"He's bluffing! There's no way he's telling the truth!"

"What? Of course it's the truth!"

"Let's get 'im!"

The smokers growled, and ganged up on the old man. Zuko couldn't hold it in any longer though, and he coughed. His cough boomed out throughout the silent tavern, and each head turned to him. Zuko realized his mistake, and saw that the drunkards were starting to wonder. But the smokers were already heading in his direction.

"Who are ye?"

"What are ye doing 'ere?"

When Zuko didn't answer, the old man saw his opportunity to gain back the trust of his 'friends'.

"I bet he's a spy! He needs information of the you know what!"

"He is!"

"Who else could he be?"

"Get him!"

By now the drunkards were interested, and they were glad to get into a brawl for the night. Katara began to realize how dangerous it was for her to be here. She hoped she would go unnoticed as she slipped to the entrance of the tavern. But unfortunately, she had to stop dead in her tracks.

"Wait! There he goes!"

A drunkard had spotted her and was pointing right at her. Katara wrapped her cloak around her even more tightly, and she tried to hide in the shadows. But now all of the drunkards were heading towards her. The smokers looked at her direction, and Zuko found his chance to jump up to the second level. It was the only way to get out, up to the roof. The smokers, since they were sober, realized quickly.

"That's not him you idiots!"

"Whoever it is, is too small!"

"Where did he go?"

"Up there!"

The drunkards all looked up amazed to see a black figure leaping up to the window of the tavern. Everyone there was entranced by the figure, but Katara hadn't even noticed there was someone else. Her heart was hammering as she ran out of the tavern. Someone noticed, and pointed at the swinging door.

"Go after 'im! Let's get 'im!"

Everyone was making their way out of the tavern and they were out into the dark night. When each of them was out there, the drunkards looked puzzled, and the smokers were agitated. There was no trace of anyone. The wind blew strongly at them, and they retreated inside.

Katara ran with all of her might through all of the alleys. It was too risky to be spotted in the street. Finally, she was back at the safety of the hill. Quickly, she made her way inside of the forest, and soon enough, she found her hut. It was concealed very well, and now, she fell onto her bed, gasping for breath. Soon, it steadied out, and she was able to relax. Katara smiled to herself as she took off the mask. She finally knew how she was going to help Aang.

Zuko leaped effortlessly from roof to roof; until he was finally back at the northern part of Tochigi. He ran through the thick trees, and he at last reached his hiding spot, a hut as well. Even though it was easy for Zuko to jump from roof to roof, it still took a bit out of him, and he lay on his bed clutching his side. He pulled off his mask, and then looked up through the small whole in the roof to see the stars in the sky. Somehow he knew that the clouds wouldn't pose a threat for the night. Instead, it was a sign. After the cloud filled sky, it was now clear, not a single cloud in sight, only the numerous stars. Maybe he would finally have a clear way to his life, especially now that he knew about the one thing he needed.

The jewels, four jewels to be exact. Long ago, an evil man had created them. His life had been miserable, he had always been beaten by every type of bender. It annoyed him to the point that he couldn't take it anymore. Of course, he became insane, and he thought, if he didn't have any special abilities, why should anyone else have them? The plan made perfect sense to him, and he kept to himself for months, making the perfect weapon for his battles. Each month, he had perfected a new jewel. First, he made the Carmine Jewel, to stop the havocking fire benders. Next he worked on stopping the hardcore earth benders, and so he made the Jade Jewel. Another group of people he despised were the water benders. They had said that their water was a tool of peace. He laughed at that. He had seen their peaceful water used to kill. So he made the Azure Jewel. Finally, there was one last group he had to take care of. It wasn't for the same reasons as before though. Some smart air bender kid had stolen his food and flown away with it. Of course he couldn't go fly after her, and so he made the Neutra Jewel. After months of hard work, the man stood back as he gazed upon the ruby, the emerald, the sapphire, and the crystal. All four had been successfully made, and so it was time to try them out.

In the next week after finishing these jewels, he ran into his opponents. He asked kindly for a rematch, and when he did, they didn't object. However, their smiles were wiped off of their faces as the man held out a jewel. The opponents began to feel drained, and more than of just their abilities and strengths. Instead, they also felt themselves weaken, their legs not able to hold up their weight. Finally, they would fall to the ground, and faint. The man was so thrilled with his success that he went and tried to overthrow the fire nation. This task would have been thought reckless, and stupid. But as he defeated all of the guards, the man felt overly confident. The fire lord however, knew of the man's plans, and he wasn't going to be defeated. When the jewel maker stepped into the room, a net immediately surrounded him, and it wrapped around him, squeezing him, until he fell to the ground motionless. The fire lord snickered at the dead man, and his foolishness. But more importantly, in his possession were the four jewels he had heard so much about. There they were: Carmine, Jade, Azure, and Neutra. But the fire lord wasn't dim, and he put a blanket over the jewels, and then he put the wrapped prizes into a bag. He wasn't taking the chance of himself weakening because of the Carmine.

His capture was not for long though. In through the door to the fire lord's chamber came the most powerful being on the planet. The fire lord had not expected this to happen, and he didn't have time to throw the jewels at the avatar. The woman stood firmly to the ground with the most powerful face he had ever seen. She immediately found herself glowing, eyes and hands alike. Her powers were now to the maximum level, and when she waved her hands, the world went black, submerged into complete darkness, the four jewels lost within the world, never to be found again.

But now, Zuko and Katara had hope. They had heard from the men in the cavern, on both sides, that a jewel had been found. Details weren't given out so much, but they had heard enough to know that their search would begin now. It was going to be difficult, and dangerous, but each of them was wiling to stop at nothing to get the task completed. After thinking about all of this new information, and after their hearts stopped to beat so fast, they closed their eyes and slept, listening to the sounds of the wind blowing by.

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**A/N: **Different than you expected? Lol I hope so, because I love being original! To let you know now, this fic is going to be 15 chapters long! And I believe it will be great!

Thank you so much for reading, and ….

**Have a wonderful day!**

-Monika-


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Yes, I know, you all hate me for not updating so fast! But I am truly sorry for that! I don't get time other than on the weekends, and well, today is Sunday, so I have managed to get this chapter done! I hope you enjoy…

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**Chapter 2**

Drifting rays of sunlight glanced upon the grass, and outlined the houses and markets of Tochigi. Another day had passed, another slow paced day, the minutes taking forever to fade away. Night was coming, and Zuko stood ready once again, to go and face the dark. The evening was the time Zuko put on his disguise, and slipped into the shadows of the city, so that no one would spot him. His tight black clothing and dark crimson mask made it perfect for him to be unnoticeable. Once it was dim enough, Zuko headed into the village.

There were still many people doing some last minute shopping for dinner. Seeing this, he felt his stomach growl a bit. No surprise about that though, he needed to get some money that night, he had run out. Spotting a bunch of men gathered around a booth, he quickly edged his way towards them, and crouched down. He pick pocketed each one with elegant ease, and Zuko was so subtle that they didn't even notice him slipping away. When he was in an alley, he held out his hands, and counted about ten gold pieces, six silver ones, and twelve copper pieces. That was good enough; it would have to do.

He knew it was wrong to steal, but it was the only thing that he was good at, and Zuko was now desperate to have something to eat. Around the corner, he saw a market stand that had no customers, and it was closing up. The woman behind the counter turned around for a minute, and Zuko sprang towards it. When the women turned back around, she saw that the food she was about to put away was gone. Her shock faded away quickly because in its place were two gold pieces, three silver pieces, and four copper pieces. She smiled and took the money. At least the scoundrel was descent enough to pay for the meal.

Zuko saw the lady take the money, and so he found an alley, which was deserted, and stopped there to eat. There wasn't much, but it was filling nonetheless. After about twenty minutes, he decided he would go around and see if there was anything else he could find for the night.

..:-:..

Katara couldn't believe she was doing this. For her desperation for some money, she had agreed to do it, and for no other reason. It was all so degrading and sexist, but because she could feel her stomach growling, and because she wasn't going to steal, Katara had agreed to take part in the "fashion show". After scrounging around in Tochigi for food, she had heard about it from whispers of angry women. '_I can't believe they are doing this! My husband is going, and leaving me home alone! My children are even asking what it is going to be! One even asked if he could go! Oh, Mokari, this is dreadful!' _And it went on and on like that. So when she found the spot, she put away her black cloak, and slipped into a red kimono that was lying on the ground, a bit dirty, but good enough. She saw two men who looked like the people in charge, and with a deep breath she approached them with her biggest smile.

"Ahem,"

The two men stopped in mid sentence, and turned towards her. After looking her up and down, they nodded their heads in agreement.

"All right, you are added to the line up. We will get another pail for you."

She wondered why in the world she would need a pail.

"Excuse me, but what for?"

They burst out laughing, and then one pulled her in close. She pushed away and smiled hesitantly.

"Well you are here for the money aren't you?"

"Yes, yes I am."

"So where did you think the men would put the money?"

"Perhaps down your…"

Katara didn't like where this conversation was headed.

"Oh, yes, thank you. I understand."

"What are you waiting for then? The dressing rooms are in the back. We start in an hour."

She nodded and headed away quickly; glad to get away from those men. It was getting dark now and she could see the bursts of fire from the lanterns in the back area. Women, all of whom were older than she, were laughing about, while getting dressed in all sorts of different clothes. When she came in, everyone stopped talking and stared at her. Katara felt awkward and waved a hand meekly.

"Hello everyone… I'm Katara."

She opened up her eyes, and the smile was wiped off of her face. All of the women were glaring at her with hatred. Katara looked to see if there were some more clothes left, and then she isolated herself to them. After a minute or so, the chatting roared up again, but this time hushed, because all of it was about the new girl. Katara was just flipping through the racks of clothes, when suddenly, someone pushed her slightly into them. She fell through, and then picked herself off of the ground, wiping away the dirt. The lady was big, but she was just about Katara's height, so she wasn't really intimidating.

"Don't think you are going to wipe us out! You are going last!"

The woman shoved her again, but this time Katara stood her ground. All of the women were clapping and cheering as the plump figure walked into their crowd again. Something snapped in Katara, and she was furious. So they thought that she was a threat? Well, if that was the way they wanted it… She turned back to the racks of clothing, and she went deeper and deeper. None of these outfits would even fit her, and they were all used and torn. Out of the blue however, her eyes spotted some shiny fabric glinting in the background.

It was breathtaking. The gold sequins decorated the hems of the sleeves and skirt, the scarlet kimono bore threaded insignias of fire and it's beauty. Katara winced at the fact that it was the only kimono her size, so she would be forced to pretend to be a ravishing girl of the fire nation. At first she was just going to slip into it, but then when she looked at the other women, she saw that they were putting on other clothes underneath their kimonos. It intrigued her as to why they would do that, but Katara guessed she would have to do it too. Fortunately, right next to where she found the kimono was an elegant soft silk dress, covered with black lace. She smiled broadly to herself, as she changed into the garments, hiding behind the racks of clothing. When she came out, the dead silence returned.

Every woman looked at her with rage, fury and most of all jealousy. Katara found her pail, and picked it up, walking over to the end of the line. She heard jeers and clapping from the men on the other side of the huge curtain, separating the stage and the dressing area. As the women went through, one by one, her heart started to beat quicker. Now the feeling of complete dread overwhelmed her body, and her heart was telling her that it was going against everything she believed in to be doing this. But her stomach told her something different. It said, that if she wanted to survive, she would have to do this.

The loud jeers and cries from the crowd outside were now deafening. One more woman went through the flap, and it flittered for a while. Cheers roared up again, and Katara peered out to see what she was supposed to do. To her horror, she saw the woman walk down a plank from the stage, and into the crowd of crooning men. She playfully showed herself off and pulled down her kimono so that her shoulders were bare. The men smiled broadly and when she showed off her bucket, the sound of coins batted against the metal. When she could no longer see the woman, she was shoved through the curtain.

Zuko heard the jeers of men coming from around the corner, so he decided he would go see what it was all about. Maybe there would be something entertaining he would observe, and that would lift up his spirits. When he found the crowd, his gaze ran over the blaze of fire lanterns, and onto the stage where a woman was prancing about, trying to persuade the men for some money. Zuko looked at her for a bit, but when she showed her bare shoulders, he cringed. The old woman was hideous, and he had no idea why these men would allow themselves to be made penniless over a worthless woman parade.

He was about to leave at that moment, but he stood frozen to the spot behind all of the men, when another woman came out. His heart began to race as his eyes wandered from the top of her head, all the way to her feet, and back up again. This young woman was simply stunning and breathtaking. Her dark hair flowed freely down from her head. The beautiful and shimmering kimono fit tightly at her every curve and her tan skin was smooth and soft. The white make up on her face surrounded a pair of the most gorgeous blue eyes. All of this, and Zuko had a feeling that he had somehow met her before. But he didn't know who she could have been.

Katara stumbled onto the stage, and once again silence greeted her. She stood in her place, unable to move for fear of all the strange men ahead of her. But suddenly loud cheers and big smiles greeted her. Somehow, she managed to move along the stage, picking up the coins that were scattered among it. From the crowd came a sudden angry shout. She was upsetting them; she couldn't evade them any longer.

So Katara slowly walked down the ramp and into the cloud of men. Zuko quickly pick pocketed some men who weren't looking, and then scowled himself because when he looked up, the woman was gone from his sight. She must have been somewhere within the crowd. But going in would be too much of a risk. Katara's eyes were filled with pure terror. Every inch she moved, it was because this or that man had jerked her closer towards him. Through all of it, she heard the clinking of coins, and she felt her pail gain weight. Suddenly, as she walked through the mass of men, two of them grabbed her at the same time, and her kimono tore in half. She stood motionless as every pair of eyes that wasn't already on her, now was.

Zuko tried to get a better view, but there wasn't much he could do. He stepped on some crates and then scanned everything until his gaze fell upon her. His mouth fell agape, as he looked at her. Her kimono was gone; instead she adorned a beautiful deep red silk dress, with mildly scattered black lace. The woman's shoulders were bare, as the dress began to slip off of them. If it was possible, for the first time in his life, Zuko's only thoughts were about a girl.

Katara's whole body shivered as she felt the men grope their arms around her neck and shoulders. She tried desperately pushing them away, but more and more came to her. Zuko saw this, and decided he needed to help the damsel in distress. Katara was making her way to the back of the crowd, and Zuko made it just in time to meet her right there. Katara could barely hold onto the heavy pail, and she still was pushing away some men. Suddenly, she was pulled into the darkness, and all of the men who gave away their last pieces of wealth, turned away and into the city. She breathed a sigh of relief, and set her pail down. Next she pulled up her dress, and then did she realize that someone was there with her. Katara turned here and there, but all around her she could only see darkness. Zuko examined her, and felt like a brick had hit his chest. She was the most gorgeous creature he had laid eyes on, but still he had this feeling he knew who she was. Now that he was so close, he saw her blue eyes. It was curious that a person in the fire nation would have blue eyes, but then again, there were many slaves, she could have been one of them, trying to obtain some more money.

As Zuko was so entranced by her and his thoughts, he didn't react quickly enough to grab her when she picked up her pail and ran off. Zuko recomposed himself and began to follow her quickly, craning his neck for that dark red dress, and white face. Suddenly, as he neared the retreating crowd of men, he heard some coins fall to the ground. She was in sight again, but he wasn't quick enough, because she darted behind to the clothing area. He lost the ability to concentrate, and to think of how easily he could be spotted.

"Hey! It's him! He stole my money!"

Zuko turned his head and swore at himself for blowing his cover over some stupid girl.

Backstage, Katara quickly emptied the pail into a black bag, and tied it around her waist. She changed back into her disguise, a black kimono and a black cloak. She wiped off the entire make up and put on her mask. Outside, she could hear angry shouts and she sighed with frustration. When she made it out into the shadows, she could see a bunch of men, and it looked like they were fighting each other. But when she got a closer look, she could see a man dressed in black. Figuring that he wasn't at fault for anything, Katara threw the nearest object she could find. It happened to be an empty pail.

The men separated and looked around to see who had thrown the pail. Zuko thought he saw something dart away into the shadows, but he didn't stop to think about it. He ran away from the men, and turned down an alleyway. The distance provided him vanishing shouts and he smiled. In his bag was just a bit more wealth than he had had at first. Katara found herself running past homes and markets. Suddenly she stopped when she saw a familiar place. She looked around to see if anyone was watching, and then went in through the door, closing it shut behind her.

..:-:..

The laughing men drank their wine, Zuko looked hurriedly for the old man he had seen last night. Finally after a couple of minutes, he saw him sitting in a corner, all by himself, drinking away his miseries. For some reason, it reminded him of his uncle again, and a thought crossed his mind. Maybe he could trust the old man.

Zuko walked along the walls and past the men who were talking about their wives, and comparing them to the women they saw that night. He pushed away the thought of the mystery girl he had seen. It was time to get down to business.

"Excuse me sir."

The old man turned around slowly, and then his eyes jerked wide open, when he was pulled into a far away room. When in there, Zuko shut close the doors, and the old man sat there bewildered, even more so, when Zuko pulled off his mask.

"I can't believe it! It is the banished…"

Zuko put his hand over the elder's mouth, and then pulled out five gold pieces.

"This is yours if you vow never to speak a word of my presence or what I discuss with you."

The elder nodded and took the money greedily.

"What is your name?"

"My name? It is Wontai. What may I call you?"

"You may call me… Red."

"All right, _Red, _what is it you want from old Wontai?"

"I heard you last night."

Wontai's eyes widened, and then relaxed.

"Ah, so you were that trouble maker?"

"Yes, but I think I wasn't the only one."

Wontai looked away, not wanting to look at the banished prince.

"Well, you might like to know that I believe you, what you said last night."

Wontai looked up with joy on his face.

"You do? I was beginning to think that everyone in this town was against me…"

"Well, I'm not against you, nor am I your ally. I have a favor to ask, and whether or not you agree to it, I will see if my loyalties lie with you."

"Okay then. Fair enough."

Zuko made sure no one was near and then he leaned in close to the old man.

"Where, how, and when can I get one of the four legendary jewels?"

Wontai sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I thought this is what you would ask of me."

"Well, can you help me, or not?"

"Because I want your loyalties, and because I see you have some … monetary value, I will agree to help you."

He sat there for a while, and then Zuko got annoyed. He gave him a few more gold pieces, and then Wontai smiled, putting the coins away.

"I think many have heard of them, but I only had the fine chance of meeting them once and only once. Have you heard of the pirates, Red?"

Zuko's eyes widened and then his lips tightened.

"Yes, I have heard of them…"

"Well, I hear they have acquired many things after traveling to numerous places. One of these was the Northern Water Tribe. There they received many valuable items, of course including none other than the Azure Jewel."

Zuko closed his eyes momentarily and then clenched his fists.

"Will they be here any time soon?"

"Oh yes. In fact, they are said to travel here very shortly. Could be tomorrow even."

"Wontai, you have earned my loyalty. And I expect loyalty from you as well."

He nodded and Zuko put on his mask again.

"If I need to speak with you, I will meet you here."

Wontai stood up and bowed.

"I shall be waiting."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Wow… it's only been a week, but it's felt longer than that! I'm so happy I am able to update today! You see… I've had a sort of, W.L.I. (_Writer's Loss of Inspiration_) and I didn't care about fanfiction anymore… O.O yes, but thanks to reading some fics, and some support from people and reviews (thanks everyone who has reviewed! You guys are awesome!), I've got it back, and therefore we now have…

* * *

**Chapter 3**

The room was filled with dark candlelight and husky incense was burning around the table. Surrounding it were cushions and on one of them was the old woman she had come to trust. She was most likely the only person in Tochigi that she could trust with her life. How they met was by accident. Katara had been trying to get some food, and when she was running away, it fell out of her hands, and some men nearby took it from her. The woman saw Katara's hungry, pale face, and took her aside. Fortunately, this woman wasn't so hard set for the war as everyone else in the town was.

"Evening Miaka."

Katara bowed slightly, as she took off her mask. She set it down on the floor, taking a seat across from the old red beauty. That is what her name meant, and she was definitely the epitome of that. Her parents wanted her to be a graceful woman, which men would swoon over. They were poor, her parents, and they wanted a rich man to be her suitor. But Miaka never wanted any of that. When she was old enough, she ran away, and found an old woman, just like her now, to take her in. Since then, Miaka devoted herself to helping out others. She had learned how to meditate, and burn incense for any illness. Miaka smiled meekly and then closed her eyes.

"Katara, it is late."

"Yes, I know. But I wanted to give you something."

Miaka opened her old amber eyes and eyed the girl suspiciously. When she saw Katara pull out a black bag, and from it pull out some gold pieces her head began to spin.

"Katara! How on earth did you get that? Please don't tell me…"

"No! Miaka, I would never steal!"

She calmed down a bit and sighed.

"I earned it."

"Oh really? May I ask how?"

Katara looked away from the woman as she handed her the money.

"I worked for it. At a parade…"

Miaka's mouth fell open and her eyes widened. Terror, disgust and worry filled her eyes all at once.

"Oh no… please don't tell me you were a part of that horrible, degrading show!"

Katara finally managed to look up into her eyes, and she nodded sullenly.

"I don't want this! I can't accept spoiled money! It's filthy!"

She threw the gold pieces across the table, back at Katara. The candle's flickered and a soft breeze blew by. Miaka stood up and closed the window shutters.

"I'm so sorry Miaka. But I had to do it! There was no other way for me to earn money without giving myself away."

The old lady looked at her through the corner of her eyes, and then wrapped her arms around the girl. Katara hugged her back; it was almost as if she was hugging gran gran.

"It's just that when you said that, I became so worried. Are you okay? Did those men hurt you?"

Katara pulled away and smiled.

"Miaka, do I look like I'm hurt? I'm fine. Besides, someone pulled me away from the men just in time."

"Oh? And who would that have been?"

Katara opened her mouth, but closed it promptly.

"I … I don't know. I never saw anyone near me. It was like the shadows pulled me in or something…"

Miaka sat down again and closed her eyes.

"It could have been some spirits."

Katara chuckled to herself quietly. The only thing wrong with the lovable old woman was that she believed in all that supernatural junk.

"I don't think so. But whoever it was didn't want to stick around. Those men were becoming rowdy."

"Well I know why."

Katara blushed, and the two of them laughed a bit. Miaka took the money back, and put it safely inside her pocket.

"So, why dear Katara have you given me this _wonderful_ money?"

"Well, I did want to repay you for your hospitality. You are the only person I can count on, and you are risking your life doing so."

"It is nothing. It is what I live to do."

"Yes, I know, but still. You have helped me so much… and now I need your help again."

Miaka cocked her eyebrow and smiled.

"What is it you need?"

"Have you heard of the four jewels?"

She gasped briefly, and nodded.

"Yes I have. A horrible thing they are. Why would you need to know of them?"

"Well, as you know, I am here trying to help the avatar. I think that if I had one of the jewels… let's say the Carmine, then maybe it could help Aang defeat Fire Lord Ozai."

"Hmm… I do see your point. Carmine would without a doubt weaken the fire lord considerably."

She looked around, and then leaned in closer over the table. Her voice became hushed, almost like a whisper.

"Girl, you have some guts to go after something as valuable as this. You could get yourself killed, but you are determined, I know that."

Katara nodded and listened on.

"I have heard rumors coming from the main tavern of Tochigi that the jewels are nearby."

"Yes, I went there last night," she paused as Miaka closed her gaping mouth, "and heard about the jewels there. Do you know anything else?"

"There is a man, I've heard, who is bluffing about not knowing anything. If you see someone hiding among the crowd, not saying a word, not drinking a single drop of anything, I believe you will be able to get closer. Otherwise, I'm afraid I know nothing."

Katara nodded, and stood up. She bowed and smiled.

"Miaka, thank you, thank you for everything."

She waved her hand and smiled. Katara put on her mask, and stepped outside cautiously. The night was still young.

..:-:..

The voices and laughter of the men were becoming louder as Katara turned the corner. She saw the familiar tavern she had been at the night before. As she neared it, she looked around to make sure no one was following her. The sky above was filling up with more clouds. She had grown accustomed to Tochigi weather, but for some reason the clouds seemed more ominous than before. The air around had in it moisture, and she could feel it within her veins. So much time had passed since she had last water bended. It was creating a hole inside of her soul, and she desperately wanted to touch the water hovering invisible to human sight. But she had more important matters to attend to. Katara slipped into the tavern and had to immediately hold her breath. The smokers were near the entrance that night, and she could barely stand the fumes.

Katara tried not to focus on that too much, and instead she tried to slip around everyone, trying to find the person that Miaka had talked about. Everyone seemed to be doing something though, and the situation looked hopeless. Maybe Miaka had been wrong, or maybe the man wasn't there at the moment. But as Katara was passing by the drunks, she heard something that made her stand still.

"Ha! I bet you five gold pieces that the Red Spirit could knock you out in less than ten seconds!"

"Oh yeah? Well who says there even _is _a Red Spirit?"

"Have ya checked your pockets lately?"

The man did check his pockets, and grinned when he pulled out his money.

"Looks like I've got it all right here! There's no such thing as a Red Spirit, just like there was no such thing as a Blue Spirit. I'm tellin' ya, it's all fire nation propaganda!"

The others laughed at him, and one put a paper to his face.

"You see this? This is the Red Spirit. If you don't watch out, who knows what will happen!"

The man took the paper, crumpled it, and flung it over his head carelessly. Katara tried to remain calm as she took the paper into her hands.

"There ain't nothin' to be afraid of! It's all a bunch of…"

But Katara didn't hear the rest, because she was walking away, reading the unfolded piece of paper. To her horror, it was a wanted poster, of none other than her. The resemblance was too familiar to her disguise; the red dragon like mask, and the black uniform. She couldn't believe it. How the fire nation had spotted her out was unimaginable, and Katara didn't remember doing anything wrong, ever. She had never stolen anything; she had just lain low, scrounging for food here and there. All of the thinking she was doing distracted her so much, that she didn't even realize she was walking around, not caring at all who, or what she would bump into.

The paper fell out of her hands, her bag of fortunes spilled onto the floor, and she could have sworn she was dreaming. Katara stepped back, and so did her reflection. She was staring right at herself. The red face, the black uniform, it was as if the image on the paper had come alive.

Zuko's mouth hung wide open, although no one could tell but himself. Right in front of him stood his exact opposite, but much shorter. The disguise was the same, but he couldn't help but feel like something was strangely familiar. All of a sudden, the tavern became silent as every pair of eyes hung onto the pair. The smokers thought they had smoked too much, and the drunkards believed themselves to be in nirvana. There was a pile of gold on the ground, and there were _two_ Red Spirits. The rewards for two wanted men were very high.

Zuko snapped quickly back into reality, as Katara was just beginning to realize the height difference. He stooped low, and scooped the gold into the black bag in one swift motion. He darted away as the shouting began. Katara got a hold of herself, as she saw her earnings being stolen away from her. She received a big boost of confidence then, and she ran after whoever it was in the disguise.

"The Red Spirit!"

"No you idiot! There's two of em!"

"Who cares?"

"I told you so!"

Zuko darted around tables, and jumped over them too. The doorway was so close, and when he stepped out into the night, he stopped slightly and breathed a sigh of relief. The clouds were now looming overhead, but he didn't care. In his hands was a hefty sum of gold. Katara saw her nemesis dart away, and her anger began to boil. Somehow within a five second time frame, she had acquired so much strength that she had knocked out a whole group of men with her whip. It was either that, or the fact that the men were really drunk. In good time, she had made it out of the confusion, the shouts, and the chaos, out into the fresh, moisture filled air. There he was.

She wasn't sure if it was a he, but from the height, it most likely was.

Zuko heard a soft, almost inaudible movement behind him. When he turned around, he saw that his double had appeared from the tavern. Katara pulled out her whip, and without time to react, Zuko was now a lot less wealthy than he was a second before. Katara tied the bag securely to her waist, but this was a terrible move, because this allowed her rival to knock her down. Whoever it was had swung his legs right at her, causing her to fall face down into the dirt. She knew it had to be a guy, he was built like one, and his legs were really heavy, the pain told her.

The gold scattered around again, and Zuko tried to pick up as much as possible. Katara looked up however, and was soon on her feet again. She wasn't afraid of him, not anymore. Her arms punched with all of her strength and Zuko wasn't sure what to think. They didn't hurt his gut so much, but it was a punch and he stumbled onto the ground. Up above, the clouds parted for a while, and the winds picked up slightly. When he looked up at his rival, Zuko saw that her cape had flown away from her body, leaving the moonlight to outline her curves. Underneath his mask, he blushed just slightly, and then looked away. She took out the whip again, and wrapped it tightly around his neck.

Katara didn't know why, but she was enjoying this. For some reason, she felt like she owed it to herself to inflict pain on him. She tugged on the rope, and Zuko could only let himself be dragged. And then he reminded himself; this was a girl, he was getting beat up by a girl. Out of the blue, Zuko pulled on the rope and Katara fell forward right on top of him. Zuko shoved her off, and Katara went rolling to her side. Inside, her temper was becoming uncontrollable. This guy thought that he could toss her around like that? Well he was wrong.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the catlike reflexes of Zuko. Instantly, he had seized her whip, and with its end, he wrapped up Katara's wrists. Zuko pulled her up, and she winced, but didn't let any cry of pain come out. He was now holding onto her by her wrists, and she was inches away from him. For some reason, he let go of her. For some reason, he had just thought of the water bender, and how some long time ago, he had held her in that same position.

Katara sighed with relief as she felt his strong grasp loosen. She hurriedly picked up most of the gold, and decided she should just run before he had another chance to get her. Just as she was about to though, both of them heard shouts.

"The Red Spirits are in the street!"

"Get them!"

"Fire benders are coming!"

"No! _I_ want the reward!"

Katara's eyes widened and she stood frozen to the ground. Everywhere around her, lights were coming on in the street, and in the houses near it. Zuko had already darted into an alley, but then he looked back at the girl, who stood in the street, barely moving. He breathed in deeply, and angrily. Why did he have to have so much honor in himself?

Quickly, Zuko darted into the street, and as drunks and smokers alike were coming out of the tavern, Katara felt someone grab her arm, and pull her away into the alley. Once again, she was saved, by what Miaka had called spirits. But when Katara turned around, she saw that her spirit was none other than the person she had been fighting not even a moment ago. He signaled her to be quiet and to follow his lead by putting a finger to where his mouth would be. She nodded, and then he ran away. Instinct told her to follow him, and so she did. Unfortunately, when they got out of the other side of the alley, they bumped right into three fire benders. Katara saw no way out of it, but her partner in crime had pulled out some smoke bombs, and instantly they were all mixed up in dust and smoke. Once again, she felt the strong grip of the man take her arm, and she was lead out of street and back into another alley.

This time, Zuko motioned for Katara to run through the alley, while he ran up to the rooftop of a house. From that height, Zuko could see the tavern, and that a fire had been started. Tochigi was being lit up everywhere, in search of the infamous Red Spirit. Zuko had no clue how this had happened. All he wanted from Wontai was information, and so he got it. The next thing he knew, he had bumped into his red spirit double, a girl, who was now running away below him. He decided he should be doing the same, and before he knew it, he was back down on the ground, following her from behind.

Katara thought it odd that the man who had fought her for her money, was now helping her, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that they were both being hunted down, and that they needed to get to the forest as quickly as possible. A shocking thought occurred to her. If she wasn't the person who had committed the crimes, then maybe he was. They could have easily mistaken her for him, but why would they believe her? And if the fire nation found out that a water bender was in their mists, then she wouldn't even be allowed to speak.

She found herself among another street, but it wasn't familiar to her. Obviously, she was not going towards her part of the forest, but there it was in the distance, on top of a massive hill. Another group of fire benders had turned the corner, and Katara swore to herself mentally. The mystery guy was up somewhere on a roof, and she was down here, most likely as bait. How stupid she was to have believed he wanted to help her. But then all of a sudden, he was there, right by her side. She smiled inwardly; so he was a good guy after all.

Together, they fought the fire benders. She pulled out her whip, and he pulled out two broad swords, from where she had no clue, but all that mattered was that the group of six fire benders had gone down, and the two red spirits were left without a scratch. Unfortunately, another group of fire benders with torches were running towards them. Katara and Zuko ran into yet another alleyway, and they dodged trashcans, and old boxes. When they reached the end of the alley, they were found with a tough obstacle. In front of them, there was a ten-foot tall fence.

At the other end, the fire benders were nearing.

"I think I see them over here!"

Katara's pulse was going insane, and she knew it was the end of their game of hide and seek. There was no way she was going to get over a ten-foot fence.

But Zuko had another idea. Quickly he wrapped one arm around Katara's waist, and then with the other, he climbed up on a pile of boxes. Katara wrapped her arms around the man's neck, as she saw her feet leave the ground. Beads of sweat formed on Zuko's head, and inside of his disguise, it felt like he was burning up. Finally, they were at the top of the fence, and they could see the other side. It was the massive hill; it was their way out of this mess.

Katara couldn't manage to get herself to do it though. The drop down looked unbearable, and she froze to her spot. Zuko was growing agitated, and he could hear the fire benders getting closer. He pulled the girl in close to him, and gave her a tight hug. Katara gasped when he did it, but she felt safe in this person's arms. It was his signal telling her to trust him, and so she did. They jumped down onto the other side of the fence together. The boxes on the other side tumbled from their height, and a cat scurried away. Zuko lifted his head up, and saw that he was on top of the girl. Katara's hands were on his shoulders, and then she traced his arms until she could finally push him away. The man wasn't a man; he was a _young_ man as Katara could tell from his tight muscles, and the way she was blushing underneath her mask.

Zuko helped her stand up, and then the two of them ran up the hill as fast as they could. The fire benders heard the tumbling boxes, but when they got to the other side of the fence, there was no one in sight.

..:-:..

"See! I told you that the Red Spirit was real!"

The men were now settling down again in the tavern, getting back into the regular way of things. One side was filled with smoke, while the other was filled with drunks spitting up as they talked. However there was one man, who stood absent to all the other men. He looked from one group to the other, and he never accepted anything to eat or drink. Finally, after a few moments of contemplating, the man walked out of the tavern, and pulled on his hooded cloak. From within it, he pulled out a bottle of poison, and then he slipped away into the dark, just as the clouds covered the moon, once again.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I'm so glad I got to update today! I have so much homework to go do now -.- but oh well lol … Just to let you know, this chapter has a lot of detail, so you might squirm a bit. Here we go then! (oh, and sorry if this chapter doesn't have much in it… I am still trying to figure out how this is all going to piece in together!) _Thanks again to all that have reviewed!_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

The winds howled against their shivering bodies. Katara had run all the way up the hill, not looking back, and when she, along with whomever she was with, had made it into the forest, she fell to her knees and collapsed. Her arms lifted up to wrap themselves around her body. Zuko leaned against a tree, and began to control his breath. Both of them were panting, barely filling up their lungs with much needed air. When things got back to normal, Zuko helped the girl stand up. Katara took his offered hand and walked along side him, going deeper and deeper into the forest.

Zuko kept looking back to see if she was following him. It turned out that she was, and he smiled to himself. Having a partner in crime was a rather comforting thought, especially if it was a girl with rage and passion. The thought brought him to other thoughts of rage and passion, like when he bended fire. For anyone that bended an element, it was completely out of rage and passion, at least he thought so. Another thought came to his mind. Were all the elements like that really? Could water be furious with rage? No, water was calm and soothing. Just then he felt a chill go up his spine, and he shivered.

Katara kept walking behind him, and she was looking down at the ground. Unfortunately, this meant that she had bumped right into the man's back when he stopped. Zuko turned around, and stared at the girl intently, not speaking a single word. There, in the middle of the forest stood two dark figures, each one of them bearing the same red dragon mask, identical to each detail. Katara's cloak fluttered in the wind slightly, and then the lightening struck. It illuminated the sky around them, and sent light through the thick dark trees. She jumped slightly, but the man next to her took her hand and started to lead her away. Zuko wanted to make sure this girl wouldn't run away too soon; he wanted to receive some answers from her.

Another bolt of lightening struck, and this time a loud boom of thunder followed it. Since she was so close to him, she grabbed onto Zuko, and just before he was going to put his arms around her, she pulled away, blushing madly. Zuko looked at her curiously as she turned away from him. He was so intrigued to meet the person under the mask. There was so much mystery behind it, and he wanted so desperately to find out. Suddenly, a blanket of rain fell through the trees, soaking their disguises. Katara's heart started to beat in rhythm along with the thousands of drops of rain. She ran after him, obviously not knowing where else to go.

The man was standing somewhere in the distance. He looked up and saw the rain coming. From inside his cloak, he pulled out a round and triangular hat and put it on his head. His two targets were getting ever so closer towards him, and he smiled crookedly. Next, he pulled out the tube of poison, and an arrow. After inserting it into the poison, he took out a bow and took his time to figure out where to shoot. They were moving quickly, and he wasn't sure who to aim it at. The taller of the two seemed to be the dominant one, so he figured he should shot at him.

Zuko was looking everywhere, trying to figure out his way back to the hut. It seemed that he had lost his way, and inside, he had a feeling of foreboding. But the rain would not cease to fall, and his vision was becoming blurred. Suddenly, another flash of lightening darted across the sky above them, and with it, Zuko saw what his feeling was telling him. Without anytime to react, Zuko saw the arrow fly from the archer, and come straight towards him. The piercing sound of the arrow hitting through the rain and wind, was only heard by Zuko. All Katara could hear was the booming of the thunder, and then what she saw frightened her even more than the storm. The man in front of her fell down to the ground, his head leaned back, and from his arm was an arrow sticking up. Her eyes darted from him to the woods around her. She saw a man in the distance dart away quickly. Katara felt enraged, and before she knew what she was doing, she was running after him.

Whoever that man was, she was going to kill him. For some reason, she had felt like someone had attacked her, by attacking her man. They dodged in and out of the trees, until finally she was gaining on him. The storm was now giving her a sense of power, and when the lightening struck again, she felt her confidence rise. The assassin had no idea that he was being followed. He thought for sure that by now he was a safe distance away, and that the other spirit had stayed back to help. When he turned around, the sight of the red mask made his eyes widen and his mouth drop open.

Without any warning, he saw two hands wrap around in circles. He was confused as to what was happening, but Katara was smirking. Suddenly the rain was being transformed. It gathered together and as Katara shot her arms forward, the assassin was pushed against a tree by the force of the stream. She slammed the water into his mouth and kept pushing it in him, until she finally saw him fall to the ground. His eyes flickered once, twice, and then they shut close. Her mind wasn't functioning properly, and the thought that she had just murdered someone wasn't anywhere near her consciousness. Her main focus now, was to run back to her fallen comrade, and hopefully she wouldn't be too late.

The sight of his chest heaving sickened Katara. She was now feeling less confident, and was becoming increasingly worried. When she reached him, she looked at the protruding arrow and grimaced. Her eyes darted through the forest wildly, trying to see if there was any source of shelter nearby. Her heart leaped with joy when she saw the small hut about fifteen feet away. She tried to lift the man up, but all she received from him were grunts and moans of pain. Katara knew it was extremely risky using her water bending, but she had no choice if she wanted to save his life. He was slipping in and out of consciousness, so he wouldn't know.

Katara used the rain again to help her. She formed a pool of water underneath the man, and then lifted him up. Her soaking cloak was becoming heavy, and her arms were becoming tremendously exhausted. But she was completely stubborn, and she carried him all the way to the hut. There, she laid him down on the small bed, and then she let her arms fall down to her sides. She took off her cloak, and bended the water out of it. Katara did this as well with her clothes, and the same for the man lying on the bed. Her mask was still on; she didn't want to risk losing her identity, and she assumed the man didn't want his identity revealed either, so she decided to keep it on.

She took a deep breath in, and then sat next to him on the bed. The arrow was in his right arm, and it looked like it was in deep. Katara squirmed a bit, but gently ripped open the cloth covering his arm. When she saw his skin, she gasped at the horrible blue color that was spreading out from where the arrow had punctured his skin. The only explanation for it was simple, yet horrifying. It was poison. Knowing this, she knew she had to work quickly. Katara was no longer afraid of the arrow, and she pulled it out carefully. The man winced slightly, but slipped back into a world of black. She threw the arrow out into a tree, being very careful not to touch the tip with the poison. When she returned back to the hut, she saw that the color was spreading even quicker than she had imagined it to.

Looking around the hut, she quickly found a bucket, and went outside. The rain filled it up rapidly, and then she ran back inside. She closed her eyes and dipped her hands into the water. Pulling her hands out, they were covered in the water, and there was a trail of water following. When she put them over the wound, she winced slightly, but relaxed as her hands began to glow. The blue color covering his arm was retreating, and the trail of water engulfed it. Finally after a few minutes, the wound was healed, no trace of poison remained, and Katara fell to the ground gracefully. The calm soothing drops of rain were not so loud anymore, and instead they were drizzling on the roof.

She found her strength in it, and she was sitting up again. The man on the bed was breathing a lot easier now, and a wave of relief flooded her. But why did it? What did this stranger mean towards her? In the past few hours, she had spent so much time with him, and he had helped her out of many situations. She sort of felt a connection growing between them, and she liked how it felt. Then a thought struck her. What if he was the one who had helped her out with those men? She hadn't seen anyone, and his disguise was dark and camouflaged like hers was, so it made sense that she wouldn't have seen him in the alleyway.

She stood up and began to look around the hut. There wasn't much there. On the desk in the corner was a small pile of food, and right then she felt her stomach growl quietly. Katara had gotten the necessary amount of money, but she didn't have the time to go and buy anything with it. But she realized that he was in the same situation as her, and the reason for taking her money was now obvious. He must have done it to anyone when he could, pick pocket of course. He was living in this hut, almost the exact same one as hers in design actually. She chuckled, but quickly quieted herself. When Katara turned around, she saw that the man was stirring. Her heartbeat quickened. Now that they were alone, here together, what would happen?

Zuko's eyes fluttered open and he moaned. There was still a sting in his right arm and his head was throbbing lightly. He rubbed his head with his left hand and tried to sit up, but was instantly overcome with dizziness. Katara rushed to his side and gently lifted his head up first. Then she propped him up against some pillows. When Zuko was sitting up, he saw that his right arm was bare, his clothes ripped, and a slight shadow of a wound was there. He looked up at the woman in front of him, who just sat nearby on his bed. What had happened?

Then he remembered how the sickening sound of the arrow speeding towards him stopped when it buried into his arm. Zuko shook his head and looked at his arm again. It looked like nothing had been there at all. He took his left hand and traced over his other arm. Katara sat quietly, not knowing if she should speak just yet. Instead, she took the man's hand, and put it aside. She motioned him to watch what she did. Katara stood above him, and demonstrated how she took out the arrow, and threw it away. Then she showed how she cured him. Zuko shivered at the cool touch of her hand on his arm. The shivering sensation traveled up Katara's arm as well, and she drew her hand back. They became silent again, listening to the retreating sounds of the storm.

This was insane. She was there with a complete stranger, and he could attack her at any moment, but yet she was glued to the hut, and she couldn't move. Zuko didn't know what it was about the stranger, but he was thankful that she had been there to save his life. The wound could have been fatal, and he wouldn't have made it to see her face, not that he was seeing her face now. Both of them still had their masks on; still afraid of being betrayed when their identities were revealed.

Zuko decided that he was going to do something about it. He reached towards her, but Katara backed away. She stood for a moment wondering what the man was trying to do. He froze on the spot as well, afraid she would flee away from him. She looked for her cloak, and pulled it on herself quickly. Zuko now pushed himself to stand up, but sat back down on his bed right away. Katara winced; she didn't want to leave him here by himself, but she also needed to think about herself and her own safety. She walked over to him quietly, and motioned him to lie down and rest. But Zuko sat up once again, and grabbed her arm. Now Katara felt even more at fault for having the intention of leaving. It was obvious he didn't want her to go, but she had to. She stepped forward, giving Zuko a sense of security, but at the last moment, she pulled her hand away, and ran away from the hut.

Zuko didn't want to lose her, so he used all of his strength and began to chase after her. Katara didn't think he would have the strength to follow her, so she didn't run too far. Just outside of the hut was the woman, and Zuko felt it necessary to make sure she didn't leave just yet. He wanted to somehow let her know how thankful he was for her services. When Katara felt his hand grab her arm again, she turned around and inhaled sharply. He was standing right in front of her, just a foot away. Katara could feel her pulse quicken, and she didn't know why whenever she was somewhat close to him, it happened. Zuko wasn't sure of what to do, but he pulled her in closer. Surprisingly for both of them, he wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her.

Katara's eyes widened at the closeness of the embrace, but for some reason she didn't push him away. From above, a few drops of rain would fall down from the leaves of the trees, and they would fall on their heads, but neither thought anything of it. Suddenly, Katara had the urge to see who it really was behind the mask. When she began to reach for it, Zuko pushed her hand away gently. But she was adamant, and she slowly reached up towards the mask. His heartbeat was soaring through the roof, and he didn't know if he should let this woman figure out who he was. But the soft touch of her hand on his neck calmed him down, and he let her do it.

To Zuko's surprise, she didn't take off his mask; instead, she pushed it up slightly so that only his mouth was visible. He had a slight idea of what she was up to, and he was now enjoying the game. He felt around her neck with his hands, and Katara sighed at the touch. Zuko found his way to her mask, and did the same thing as she did. Her mouth was the only thing visible and the two of them were inching closer and closer towards the other. Katara ran her fingers over his strong cut jaw, and then she felt her fingers run over soft flesh, his lips. She leaned in closer and closer, until finally her lips met his face.

Zuko felt her cool lips kiss the corner of his mouth, and then slowly he felt them faint away into the darkness and the emptiness of the night. He was so entranced by the slightest touch from her, that he didn't even realize that she had run away into the forest. When he did come back to his senses, he pulled down his mask, and started to run after her, even though he had no clue where she could have gone. He slipped past many trees and bushes, but he saw her nowhere in sight. Suddenly he stopped, his eyes widened, and his arms fell to his sides.

Against one of the trees was a man, a dead man, and Zuko knew exactly who it was. The hat was familiar in an awful way. It was his assassin, and from the looks of it, he had been drowned. Zuko thought it to be amazing how quickly revenge could come, but what puzzled him was how it had happened. Who else was in this forest besides him and that woman he was now longing to be with? As he turned away, thoughts running through his head, he stopped suddenly when he spotted something on the ground. Everything hit him with a stunning and unbelievable realization. He bent down, and picked up the piece of black leather. The blue round pendant was covered in dirt, but nonetheless, he knew it all too well.

Katara ran all the way back to her hut, afraid that the man would have followed her, but after a while of no one coming into her hut, she realized she was safe. It was still hard to believe that she had kissed him, well almost. Her lips still tingled from the contact of the edge of his lips, but it felt exhilarating. She knew that behind that mask, was someone so mysterious and intriguing, that she just couldn't help herself. When she saw her bed, all she could do was collapse onto it, and fall asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I am soo sooo very sorry for this absurdly late update! It's been more than two weeks, and I feel horrible! But I promise another update this weekend! And I hope to stay consistent afterwards! So I won't keep you waiting any longer! lol

* * *

**Chapter 5**

He breathed in sharply and continued to stare at the necklace. It was all too unbelievable, all of it so unlikely, but yet it made perfect sense that she was the one. The water bender had saved his life, through her skills as a healer. It was the only conclusion that made absolute sense to him. But now he began to question his thoughts. What would he do now that he had such great knowledge and such an advantage?

Zuko walked slowly back into his hut and sat down on his cot. He laid the necklace on his lap and gazed over it. His fingers traced its edge and then circled around it, wiping off the bits of dirt on it. In a way it reminded him of when he had touched her cheek, and when he felt his lips on her soft skin. Zuko shivered as he thought this, and disgusted with himself, he threw the necklace into a corner. He yelled in frustration, but then his face softened a bit.

Who was she? She was hiding, pretending to be a red spirit, just like he was. She had helped him regain his health, and she had killed the assassin. He smirked right then, as he thought of the overwhelming rage she must have been in to be able to do something that cruel. A thought flickered in his mind. Water was supposed to be smooth and calming, yet it had turned deadly with her rage. Maybe she wasn't as different as he thought her to be. But nothing would matter, because once she knew who he was, everything would be lost to him. The treaty they had made, or the silent pact of alliance, would be broken automatically when he took off his mask.

But what was there to lose? She couldn't go and say that she had found him. Immediately she would be taken away as well for having been in alliance with him, or supposedly. No, there was nothing to lose; yet he was still hesitant. It would be most beneficial to his situation to have an ally, and he was trying to help the avatar, was he not? If there were a way to make her listen to him though, than maybe she wouldn't run away from him.

Zuko stood up, walked over to a dark corner of the hut, and picked up the necklace again. He looked at it, made sure nothing had cracked when he threw it, tied it around his hand, and then pushed it up through his sleeve. A yawn occupied his mouth, and then he took off his shoes, and fell onto his cot.

..:-:..

Out of the dark fog, came a soft white light. Zuko's vision was blurred, but his senses could hear the soft babbling of a river, or a pond, he didn't know which it was. Inside, he was being pulled towards that lush sound, so soothing and relaxed, that he couldn't resist the temptation. As he walked over to the light, his vision became clearer and vibrant. In front of him was a small river, and standing next to it was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She smiled softly towards him and beckoned him to come towards her. There was nothing that would stop him at that point.

_Zuko finally reached her and smiled sheepishly as she began to reach towards his face. With her other hand she brought up a small tail of water, and then she engulfed her other hand in it too. With her right hand, she reached up to Zuko's face and everything in him dropped down to the ground as he felt the cool touch of water on his scar. The sensation was so amazing that he had to hold onto her for support. Bit by bit he felt his skin rejuvenate and after a few moments, she let go and her hand fell onto his shoulder. With a trembling hand he touched the left part of his face, and he began to weep when he couldn't feel any scarred tissue. _

_He embraced her so fiercely that she laughed. Zuko smiled with joy written on his face. But suddenly he stopped when he realized how magnificent her blue eyes really were. Her face became long, and her lips parted slightly. His gaze found its way towards her mouth, and he began to lean in towards it. Suddenly, just as they were going to kiss, the world around them grew dark, the light vanished and the stream made no sound. Zuko became bewildered and he looked to her for an answer. She simply smiled and waved as she stepped back from him._

"_No! Don't leave me!"_

_He lunged for her, and managed to grab a hold of her arm. She brushed off his grip, and kissed his cheek softly. Then she murmured in his ear._

"_My name is Katara, and I won't leave you Zuko."_

_She stepped back again, and then the thick fog came back, engulfing Katara in it. Zuko tried desperately to reach her, but he could do nothing as he saw her blue eyes vanish into the dark._

..:-:..

His eyes shot open and they darted around the hut. Zuko's breath began to slow down, and he slowly sat up. He shook his head groggily and wiped away beads of sweat on his forehead. The amount of anxiety the dream had caused him was unimaginable. He closed his eyes and began to meditate right there on the bed. His legs were cross-legged and his hands were palm side facing up, radiating small flames each time he breathed in. Finally he opened his eyes and the flames died down. Zuko looked out of his hut and saw that the sun was streaming onto the floor, casting shadows over him feet. That dream had been absurd. It was complete nonsense that he even wanted to be anywhere close like that towards Katara.

He stopped suddenly, as he realized that he now knew her name. After all of that time since their meeting in the South Pole till now, he had never heard her name, and he had grown accustomed to call her the water peasant and other such names. But this was news he had obtained in a dream, how did he know it was really her name? Zuko shrugged his shoulders and decided to just go with the flow for once. So her name was Katara, he had her prized necklace around his wrist, and he was going to get her to join him as an ally. First however, he had some unfinished business to attend to.

..:-:..

Katara yawned and stretched her arms. She had had a most wonderful night of sleep, and it wasn't clear to her, but she thought she had a dream as well. Yet, she couldn't recall any of it, except that she had enjoyed it. So she smiled to herself and went out of her hut to the stream that was nearby. Katara bathed herself and then put on a fresh disguise that had been washed by Miaka. The old woman had been so kind to her, and now as Katara wrapped herself in the clean outfit, she hugged herself and smiled again. But was that really why she was smiling? Or was it because of a kiss she had experienced last night with a mysterious stranger? Either way, she wasn't worried at all about anything in the world. She even temporarily forgot about Aang and Sokka. Her life was becoming filled with danger and she was getting out of it by herself. For the first time, she felt truly independent.

When she was ready, and once her disguise was on, she walked towards Tochigi and walked towards another day filled with exciting adventure.

..:-:..

Zuko stood straight against a hut listening to a deep conversation between two officials of the village.

"And I know we must act but it could involve dangerous missions."

"The safety of the townspeople is at hand! We have to be ready for anything!"

"But these are cold blooded pirates we are talking about! What makes you so sure you would stand a chance against them?"

Zuko smirked. He had just so happened to fall upon the right people.

"Well who else is going to do anything about them? They are coming today and we have to be ready. I've heard that they go around each town and terrorize it. They take woman and children aboard their many ships and do vulgar things that I am not able to let it come out of my own mouth!"

Behind the wall on the other side of the hut, Zuko was trying very hard to hold in his laughter. Where had these stories originated? Thinking about it now, he remembered that his uncle had gone on their one ship, not a fleet of them, and he wanted to buy yet more junk. Then it just so happened it led to a chase for the avatar, and it was his first real encounter with the girl. Katara, he corrected himself. He shook his head from his thoughts and listened in again.

"I know _I'm_ not going! I'd rather stay and protect the shops. Maybe you should just organize a search party willing to do the job for some gold pieces?"

One of the men began to scratch his beard and then he shook the others hand.

"Agreed. We will round up some men willing to do the job, and Tochigi will be safe."

Just as they were about to head out of the room, they came to a stop as a note slid to their feet. One of them picked it up and unfolded the note. There in red was a startling message.

'_Do not bother with your task. I shall get it done.'_

They felt a breeze go by as something dashed away, but they didn't make out what or who it was. Zuko raced towards the docks of the city, which were on the west side of it. He would find the pirates, and get what he needed most, the Azure Jewel.

..:-:..

Katara found herself among the villagers, who were already up and about doing their chores. It was now around midday, and she hadn't found any excitement at all. She would have to wait until later to go to the hut again, and try to find out more about the four jewels. But she still had hope that she would somehow get a glimpse of her mystery partner in crime, the other Red Spirit. He brought with him the excitement she longed for. Her life was beginning to become adventurous because of him, and she trusted him. That was the most important thing.

She passed by a corner and hidden in the shadows, she saw that a group of young children weren't playing or laughing at all. Instead, they were clutching their stomachs, and lying down on the ground. Katara couldn't help but feel for the children and she automatically sent herself the task of getting them food. A market booth had just opened and she saw her chance. She quickly found a piece of parchment on the ground, and scribbled a note into it. Then she put in a couple of gold pieces that she had earned, and then she tossed it onto the booth's counter. The salesperson turned around abruptly and saw the sack, eyeing it curiously.

'_If you would please feed those hungry children in front of you, I would be most grateful. There is enough money here I suppose.'_

The kindness of the person who gave away their money for the children made the salesperson smile. He motioned the children to him, and then he cleared his throat.

"You all seem hungry I believe?"

The children nodded sadly and they looked at him with round eyes.

"Well I'm in a good mood today. Why don't you pick one or two items to have for yourselves?"

They all smiled with rays of beaming sunlight shining through. Katara saw all of this happen and she felt satisfied, so she walked on towards the west side of the village. All the time she had been here, she had never really taken the chance to go exploring there. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity to go and find something new and exciting. But as she delved further into the city, she saw that the living conditions were much worse for the people on the west side. The buildings were only small huts, only a bit bigger than her own, and the streets were muddy, unclean, and there was a nasty smell growing in the alleys. Katara had to hold her breath as she made her way down towards the docks. There she forgot about everything around her, because at that moment, she was thrown aside.

When she got up, she cursed under her breath, and then peered to see who had been so rude as to push her away. There was no one there, but she did set her sights on what she had seen a second before. In front of her view was a ship, and no ordinary ship; it was a pirate ship.

..:-:..

Zuko saw her and immediately cursed to himself. Why was she already here? Did she know that the pirates had the Azure? And if so was she planning on taking it for herself? But what would it benefit her, if she would be weakened by it? But Zuko knew there were ways to have a jewel, and not be weakened by it. For instance, a person could put it in a bag, and the effects wouldn't work. It didn't matter though; he had to get it first in order for his plan to work.

So he ran past her, knocking Katara down on the ground. He felt just the tiniest regret about pushing a girl down, but he had to. When she got up, Zuko had already gotten himself hidden in the shadow of the ship. He made his way around to an unguarded part, and climbed up on board of it. There was a crate as big as him, and even larger, and so he hid behind it.

"Captain, I have a conflict for you to resolve. Will you join me in the other room?"

The captain rose with his bird perched obediently on his shoulder. Zuko squinted as he watched them leave. He still remembered how he had seen that bird before his ship was blown to smithereens. The deep hatred for the pirates grew stronger now, and what he was about to do didn't affect his moral beliefs one bit. Zuko made sure no one was in the room, and then he walked towards the desk where the captain had been sitting at. There was a small box piled underneath bigger boxes, and he had a hunch that it was there. Carefully, he pulled out the smallest one, and he made sure none of the other boxes fell. The box wasn't locked however, and this made things all too simple. Zuko lifted the top, and he was finally staring at the most magnificent crystal he had ever laid his eyes on. He had finally found the Azure Jewel.

Zuko pulled out a small bag, and put the jewel on a string, and then into the bag. He tied it around his waste, and smiled to himself. Suddenly, he heard footsteps grow louder, and he knew his time was limited. Quickly, Zuko closed the small box, and set it under the pile so it looked like no one had been there. His hiding place was still the only thing he had time to get to. Sure enough, within a minute, the captain was back. He walked over to the desk and sat down.

"Stupid crew, they have no idea how to take care of a ship! The only thing they are good at is drinking and fighting."

He laughed, and then pet his bird on its head.

"At least they are good at that. Now let's see… what was I doing? Oh yes…"

The captain got a mischievous sparkle in his eyes, as he started to reach for the smallest box. Zuko crossed his eyes and inhaled deeply, but quietly. As he lifted the lid, the grin on his face disappeared instantly, and instead there was a horrifying scowl as he yelled in frustration. When he stood up, he slammed his fists on the desk, causing the pile of boxes to topple all over. This got him even angrier than before, and he shoved the boxes off of his desk. They went flying across the room, and Zuko could sense that a distraction was going to come soon, so that he could finally make his escape. Sure enough, the crew came down to the Captain's quarters immediately, and when they saw the mess, they looked at him with wide eyes, eyes that were full of dread and worry for what was to come of them. The captain looked completely out of his mind.

"The jewel is missing! Where is it?"

The crewmen flinched, but the leader stepped forwards and bowed his head.

"Captain, we do not know of the whereabouts of your private possessions… only you do."

This made him fume even more, and Zuko could tell that it was the perfect opportunity to get away. But just as he reached the stairs, the bird screeched and spread its wings. Everyone's eyes turned to the stairs, but there was only pitch black. As Zuko found himself on the top of the deck, he took in a deep breath of fresh air, but he didn't have time to take in the scenery. A group of four pirates had closed in on him already, and he had to concentrate. He stood his ground; turning around, making sure that his idea would work. When they were close enough, Zuko dropped down onto all fours like a monkey, and then he spun his legs around in a circle, knocking down all four of them in one blow.

The crewmen in the Captain's quarters had turned their attention back towards him, and the Captain quieted his pet.

"Perhaps you have put it somewhere else in case someone would try and take it?"

The captain's eyes bulged at the mere suggestion, and the crewman who had spoken shielded his head, but the Captain relaxed, and scratched his chin.

"Come to think of it, I might have done that."

Everyone in the room sighed with relief, but not for long.

"So since you thought of it, I think it would suit the situation for all of you to search my quarters at once! I will watch and make sure none of you try any funny business… got it?"

Everyone nodded in response and began to clean up the room. The captain sat down calmly, and began to inspect their work. Soon enough he would have his treasured jewel back, soon enough.

Up on the deck, Zuko saw that his opponents were trying to get up again. Out of the back of his disguise, he pulled out a tiny bottle. He opened the cap just a tiny bit, and then let three drops of the clear liquid fall out. It wasn't water however, and Zuko knew he had to get away quickly. He jumped away and off of the edge of the ship onto the docks. The four men on the deck of the ship inhaled a most lovely scent and they stood up. Each wondered what they were doing, or what had happened for the matter of fact. But it was all right, and they decided to just start mopping the deck. Their memories had been erased.

"I don't know what the captain was thinking! This here load is heavier than the rest of em!"

Zuko couldn't believe how rotten his luck had been. He had landed right in front of two more crewmen, but he didn't have time to think what his next step in his plan would be. Katara was so close to the ship now, and she was about to step up onto its deck, when all of a sudden, she saw her excitement finally come. Below her were two pirates, and with them was the other Red Spirit. Inside she became ecstatic and she immediately jumped down behind the crewmen. Zuko stepped back in surprise to see her there. He had completely forgotten that she was in the streets nearing the ship as well. How could he have forgotten such an important detail? But it didn't matter anymore, because he now had his perfect escape plan. A double seemed to come in handy more than once in the past couple of nights.

Katara whipped the back of one of the pirates, and he jumped up with surprise. He turned around and saw the mirror image of the Red Spirit. Pirates aren't too cunning, especially the ones hired to just do errands, but both of them felt a duty to their Captain, and they knew these two had to be stopped. But they were too slow, and Katara had already danced around the two, and had joined Zuko's side. He smiled underneath his mask as she grabbed his hand, and they began to run for it. They went down the docks, passing one and another. But the pirates were still catching on behind them, and they had to escape into an alley. The stench was so horrid that Katara thought she was going to puke. It was so disgusting in fact that she had to stop and hold her breath. Zuko saw what was happening and he started to panic. The only thing to do was to go back and face them. He grabbed her hand and they ran back into the fading sunlight.

They saw the two pirates only a few feet behind them and they began to run again. The view of the hills and the vast forest was so welcoming to both of the spirits that they ran even faster. Their breath was becoming more difficult to obtain, but it didn't matter. But suddenly Katara stopped as she saw a dagger fall to the ground near her feet. She spun around and saw that the pirate was smirking. Her face went aghast as she realized that she could have just been stabbed. Katara's mind raced as she saw the pirates start looking for more weapons. Her gaze fell onto the river and she knew what she had to do. In an instant, Zuko was pushed away into an alley, and his back faced Katara. He had fallen to his knees, and at that moment, she pulled her arms up above her head, and then she violently thrust them aside. The pirates had not expected a wave to sweep them away into the river, but that is exactly what happened. She peered over the edge to see if they had found their destination, and they had. Katara pulled one more wave over their heads, and then she walked over to the alley where her ally was on his hands and knees breathing hard. She walked in front of him, and held out a hand. Zuko looked up and growled lowly at her, but he took her hand, and he was pulled up. She dragged him over to the river, and pointed at the two heads floating in it. Technically Katara hadn't done it; she hadn't known that the pirates didn't know how to swim. Although, it was her life that mattered most, and she had to do what she had to do, so it was all right.

The sun was setting now, and Katara turned towards her friend. She desired so much to take off her mask and that he take off his mask as well. No one was around; the edge of the village was deserted. So reached towards him, just like the night before, but this time she winced as the man grabbed her wrist tightly. She began to push him away, but it didn't work. Suddenly, she found her strength in her other hand, and she managed to wriggle free. Zuko let her go, and he watched as she made a dash for the hills, he breathed in deeply, and began to run after her.

As she ran away, Katara bit back the tears welling in her eyes. Why had she been so stupid to think that he was her friend? Silly thoughts and her kindness led her into this mess, and when she turned her head around, she saw that he was still running after. Now she knew she was in danger, or she seemed to be. It was only luck that made him not able to run after her last night. When Katara reached the forest, she ran with all of her might, not caring what happened to her disguise, as long as she was safe from that man. First her mask came off, as it became entangled in one of the trees branches. Then her cloak fell off, and it blended in with the dirty ground. She felt the branches and bushes tug at her black outfit. Soon, it was torn up into bits, and her water tribe clothes were visible. Since she was running blindly through the forest, she hadn't seen the tree root sticking out of the ground. She screamed as she fell with a thud to the ground. Her breathing slowed down, her eyes fluttered close, and she fell into black unconsciousness.

..:-:..

Zuko stopped running now. He saw the mask, and the cloak, and the bits of torn clothing on the ground. The trail led him directly towards his prize. There, sprawled out on the ground, was Katara. When he first saw her, he didn't know what happened, but it was like the breath was taken out of him. His mouth fell open as he touched her dirty cheek. Her face looked so peaceful, but he didn't know what to make of it. After a while, she didn't stir, and she didn't move. Zuko came to the conclusion that she was unconscious.

He knelt down, and picked her up in his arms. Her head fell to his shoulder, and beneath his mask, he smiled. When he reached his hut, he set her down on his cot, and he took in her beauty one last time before he shut it out of his mind. Feelings were not welcome in this kind of situation. After looking for a box to hide her disguise in, and after he had taken and hidden his disguise as well, he sat down next to her, and waited patiently. In the hut, he started a very small fire, and soon he felt relaxed next to the welcoming heat.

Katara stirred and slowly opened her eyes. When she opened them, she thought she was dreaming. It couldn't have been real.

"Tell me it isn't really you."

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**A/N**: Hope that was a good chapter! **I have one request though!** When you review, could you tell me what you would rather have for this story? Zuko's hair like it was in Season One, or his hair grown out, and somewhat like Haru's? Thank you!

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!

And Zutarians don't give up hope! That Cave eppie was a foreshadowing of the wonderful Zutara shipping coming soon! Anyone pay attention to the song? They were enemies lol

-Monika-


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Okay, So I found this one particular fanart, and it completely inspired me to write this chapter! AND that's not even the best part! It's a zutara fanart with Zuko's hair the way I imagine it to look like in a few episodes time! So, I decided that it's going to be like that for this fic!

**GO HERE:** (www. deviantart. com/view/ 31447615/) without the spaces of course, it will give you a visual for what he's going to look like. Of course if you don't like it… I guess you can just pretend his hair is like however you want it to be… even though I will give descriptions otherwise lol

One thing to say now: get ready for some zutara interaction! (everyone says: finally! lol)

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**Chapter 6**

The air in between them was still and tense. Zuko didn't know what to say or do really. All he did was look at her, and Katara just looked back, unable to speak as well. The person in front of her seemed so far away and distant from her recollections and memories. His hair was so different and grown out. He had bangs, and they swept down to meet his cheeks. Zuko brushed his hair away slightly from his eyes, and then looked away to reveal his well-known scar. At least there was one thing that remained of his former looks. Katara observed him now, and she suddenly felt her head begin to spin, and her heart began to beat a bit faster. She snapped out of it shaking her head, and this caused Zuko to turn his attention back towards her.

"Well? Are you not going to speak? And wait a minute… what am I doing here?"

Zuko could tell she was panicked and the smallest hint of a smile formed on his lips. It infuriated Katara so much that she stood up quickly from the bed.

"What is so funny? Zuko, can you_ really_ not speak? I asked you a question! Or are you incapable of moving your mouth so that sound comes out of it?"

Her confidence was back and she felt like she had the upper hand, that is, until she felt faint, and she fell onto the bed again. Zuko leaned forwards to catch her, but she was already lying on the bed. In his mind, he couldn't help but worry about her. She seemed so vulnerable and he somewhat felt responsible for everything that had happened. As he hovered near her, she put a hand to her head and closed her eyes.

"My head hurts so much…"

She barely whispered and then she felt Zuko's fingers move her hand away. For a moment she let him, but then she snapped her eyes open when she realized he was touching her forehead.

"What are you doing? Don't touch me!"

Katara yelled out at him with the last bit of her strength, and then she allowed Zuko to push her head back down on the pillow.

"Wh…what are… you doing… to me?"

She couldn't take it anymore, his resilient silence. But she had just enough strength to keep her eyes open. Zuko brushed away her hair and Katara closed her eyes lightly each time she felt his cool fingers sweep at her forehead. She wondered how a fire bender could have a cool touch, but then again, he looked so wonderful hovering above her with that worried look on his face. Yes, she must have been delirious.

"I found you in the forest, and took you here. You have a fever."

She opened her eyes again and as she felt Zuko put a cool cloth on her forehead, Katara studied his expression. His words seemed emotionless, but in his eyes she could sense a miniscule amount of humanity. This comforted her, and so she breathed in a sigh of relief and closed her eyes again. He wasn't going to kill her; that was one thing she could count on.

"I'm not going to poison you or something, if that's what you were thinking."

She couldn't help but chuckle slightly, and when she did, the cloth fell off her head, and she began to cough. Zuko scowled and pushed her head back down. As he put the cloth back on her head, Katara opened her eyes and for a moment he stared into them. They were so blue and beautiful… and then the realization hit him. He had seen her before, and he had thought of her as the most beautiful girl in the world. Zuko's thoughts flashed back to the parade of women, and the one in particular that he had helped escape.

Katara saw him looking at her, and her thoughts ran crazily through her mind. It was hard to think, but she tried desperately to figure out what Zuko's intentions were. His face was scowling, and it seemed like he was angry with himself for even being in her presence. This disheartened Katara a bit, but suddenly she saw a faint blush spread across his cheeks. At that moment, he turned away and walked to the other side of the room, muttering something under his breath. Maybe it was her state of delirium, but she could have sworn that color in his cheek wasn't because of the heat in the hut.

"Zuko?"

He turned his head slightly towards her, but looked away again. His feelings were beginning to interfere with his thoughts and plans, and he wouldn't stand for it. Without turning around, he answered her.

"What?"

All of a sudden his words seemed cold and distant, like she remembered. It was a bit too early to be doing this, but she knew she had to ask.

"I was… wondering. Why… are you helping… me?"

It took a while for Zuko to turn around and face her again. When he did, he saw that she was staring up at the roof of the hut, and not at him. Zuko took a few steps, and sat back down on a stool. He busied himself with another cloth and a bowl of water.

"Be quiet, and stay still."

Katara turned her head slightly towards him, and saw his hair fall in front of his face, covering his scar a bit. He almost looked like a decent human being. But as she watched him take care of her, she could tell that maybe he really was decent after all.

"I'm going to roll up your sleeves, and then I'm going to put the cloth on your arm."

He wasn't asking her if she would let him, he was going to do it whether she liked it or not. Katara sighed and tried to lift up her arm, but when she did, her vision became blurry and she had to close her eyes. Zuko began to roll up the sleeve of her right arm, and then he stopped. There were blue streaks spreading from her hand and up her arm. Katara sensed him stopping, so she tried to open her eyes again, and saw the color in her arm. Her eyes widened, and her thoughts flashed back to a similar image she had witnessed only a day or two ago.

It was poison. Both Katara and Zuko knew it. Katara knew she must have been infected when she healed the other Red Spirit, but Zuko was the one with the guilty conscience. It was because he was the only one of the two who knew the whole story. She had healed him, and because of it, she was now in danger of losing her own life. Without thinking, Zuko put a hand on her shoulder and he leaned his head towards her, so that she wouldn't have to use so much strength to look at him.

"You need to heal yourself."

Zuko would have to wait for another time to situate the Azure Jewel so that his plans could work. Now he had to think about making sure she would still live. Katara looked at him, and saw worry in his eyes, even though his face was still and contained no emotion at all.

"Okay… I'll try… wait… how did you know?"

Zuko didn't say anything and instead, he found another pillow and propped her up. He set aside the bowl next to her and waited for her to do something.

"Well, I thought someone as skilled as you would be able to heal herself, but then again, maybe I was wrong."

Every time Zuko would want to, he knew how to get her going. Katara did just that.

"I am skilled! And I can heal myself! You just watch!"

Her fiery energy had its roots in Zuko, and she felt herself feeling much better when she dipped her hand in the bowl of water. The coolness slithered up her arm, and as she closed her eyes, it began to glow. It all slipped away after a minute, and the blue color in her arm vanished. Zuko mentally thanked Agni, but on the outside he roughly took away the bowl and set it aside on a table on the other side of the room. Katara's eyes were drooping, and she was becoming drowsy.

"Zuko… you still haven't… answered… my…"

Katara yawned and Zuko took away the other pillow. He set her head down gently as she drifted off to sleep. She finally looked completely at peace, and free to sleep without experiencing any pain at all. Zuko now smiled to himself and brushed away his hair. The smile disappeared when he looked to the box in the corner of the room where the disguises were hidden. And then he walked over to where he was keeping the Azure Jewel. It wasn't too big, and it could be concealed easily. Now he had to figure out how he would position it.

From his knowledge, he knew that she wouldn't be able to water bend if she were anywhere near it in its exposed state. Then Zuko thought about her necklace. He slid it out from underneath his sleeve, and then tied it around her neck. Zuko examined her form, and when he added the necklace, she looked complete. It made him feel guilty about taking away her abilities, but he had to. So he tied it around his wrist, where her necklace used to be. If she were anywhere near him, she wouldn't be able to bend.

..:-:..

The streaks of morning light shone through the hut, and little droplets of remaining rain fell slowly down to the ground from the trees. Katara rustled in the bed, and when she felt the blanket around her, she clung it closer to her body, and smiled to herself, thinking she was in a dreamland filled with bliss where there was no pain. Her happiness ended when she head a bucket fall to the floor. She opened her eyes and when they adjusted to the light, she saw Zuko fussing over spilled fish. Somehow, it made her smile, and so she pulled back the blanket, and stood up. She felt much better that morning and she really wanted to bend.

"I'll get that for you."

Katara moved her arms up and down, but Zuko watched with a little sadness. Her eyebrow's furrowed when nothing happened.

"That's strange. What's going on?"

She tried again, and again, and after a while she got so frustrated that she kicked the bucket across the room.

"Hey! Are you mad or something?"

Katara turned towards Zuko crossly.

"Oh, I'm definitely mad! For some reason I can't bend! And I am almost positive it has something to do with you!"

Her accusation hit him hard, but he kept his game face on. He squinted his eyes to match hers and handed her the bucket.

"Are you forgetting I'm the one that _helped_ you? I took you here and helped you heal yourself! Why would _I_ be the one to blame for the effects poison has on someone? Did you ever think that maybe it was the _poison_ that disabled your bending?"

She was utterly shocked and her mouth was hanging open, her eyes were wide-awake, and her hands fell limply to her sides. It was the most she had ever heard him speak, and it actually made some sense. Katara took the bucket without saying anything, and then he piled the fish into it. Zuko took it from her and walked outside. She followed him wordlessly, and saw that he had started a small fire, over which he was cooking the fish. Katara looked around and then decided to sit down on a rock across from Zuko.

Her eyes would wander over the fire and to his face. His eyes looked tired and worn out, and his movements weren't as quick and decisive as she remembered. When she would look away towards the forest, Zuko took the chance and then looked at her. She seemed much livelier than before and it made him glad. The girl, woman rather as he now observed her, had something in her that compelled him, but he was never too good with words.

After a while, Katara zoned out and was put to peace with the tranquility of the forest. Suddenly she was taken out of that state of mind, when Zuko pushed a plate of crisp fish towards her.

"Eat it."

The gesture surprised her, and then she observed that he gave her the bigger fish. Out of nowhere, she began to think as she watched him eat quietly to himself. Why was she still here? Why wasn't she running away back to her hut, after all she had a mission to help Aang. But Zuko wasn't harming her in any way, and it was nice to have some company. Finally, after a lot of thinking, Katara decided she would stay and get to the bottom of the situation. She began to nibble at the fish, and then she squirmed when she bit into it. It was salty and it tasted horrible. Zuko looked up and scowled to himself.

"Sorry it doesn't suit your taste buds. But that's all you're getting."

He said it in a bitter tone, and Katara felt guilty. She took another bite, and munched it down, pretending to look like it was the best thing she had ever eaten. Zuko caught her making over exaggerated gestures of enjoyment of her meal.

"You can quit acting. I know you don't like it."

She stopped chewing and looked at him. Her plate fell down to her lap, and then she looked down at it. It was unbearable, but she swallowed her food, and managed a small smile. Then the plate of half eaten fish was put to the side, and Zuko was already up and gone into the hut. She waited for him to come back outside. When he did, he was shocked that she was still out there. Inside he knew his plan was working.

"Zuko… can I ask you something?"

He looked at her through the corner of his eye and nodded ever so slightly.

"Well… I've heard rumors of a red spirit… do you know anything about it?"

Zuko had to look away to contain his stiffness and anxiety. The first thing she asked about was the Red Spirit and it gave him a sudden chill down his spine. What if she knew and was just playing along? Or what if she was just genuinely asking? Katara was now looking at the hut and it felt so familiar, almost exactly like the one she was in when she healed the other Red Spirit.

"No… I don't know about that. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I was just curious. I heard he steals a lot."

Zuko smiled to himself but recomposed himself. He turned to her and gave her a blank expression.

"Well, I don't think he knows where we are, so you can stop worrying."

Katara became infuriated once again. Who did this Prince think he was?

"I'm not worrying, and I'm not scared! Just because you're a prince and I'm _beneath_ you, doesn't mean that I'm stiff with fright, and that I don't know how to take care of myself!"

Something in his eyes changed, and he looked down at the ground, his hair sweeping to the front of his face again. Katara bit her tongue, wondering what it was that she had said to make his golden eyes soften. She stood up and walked over to him slowly. When she placed a hand on his shoulder, he didn't say anything, nor did he shove her away.

"Do you really think I'm still like that?"

Katara was confused and then she thought about how long it had really been since she last saw him. He must have changed a lot if in fact he wasn't attacking her, or asking for the Avatar's whereabouts. Then again, she studied his face, his head of hair, and it gave her a physical sense of how much time had elapsed.

"I don't know what to think anymore…"

She sat down beside him, and they both stared into the fire. In a moment's notice, Zuko took some dirt and kicked it over the fire. The warmth was gone, but the sun was still there shinning down on them. Zuko kept his gaze on the cinders of ash, while Katara turned to look at his scar. She knew he wouldn't talk to her; she would have to be crazy to think it.

"Did you see that? The fire was extinguished, gotten rid of. It was a small fire, it didn't stand a chance. But it were a huge raging fire, it wouldn't let itself die out by some dirt."

She tried to understand what he was talking about, but it made no sense to her. And all of a sudden, he smiled. Katara was taken by surprise into a trance. His face lit up with life and he looked dazzling in the sunlight. But all of a sudden, his face was covered in shadows, his smile was gone, and in its place was a frown filled with sadness.

"I guess I'm sounding a lot like my uncle now, aren't I? But then again, you would have no idea."

His expression was grim and tight. Zuko stood up and was about to turn away, when someone held him back. Katara pulled on his sleeve and he turned around towards her.

"You could try telling me about it. I'm not as dumb as I might seem, Zuko."

He didn't say anything, but he sat down slowly. She waited patiently for him to speak. Katara was now fully intrigued to see the new Zuko. He wasn't wearing his fire nation clothes, but why not? And why was he living in a hut? Katara was shocked to find those thoughts in her mind for the first time since she had discovered herself looking at him last night. Zuko cleared his throat and then took a deep breath of morning air.

"I don't know why I'm going to tell you this, but I guess I have no one else to tell it to, so I might as well."

"Wait, what do you mean you have no one else to talk to?"

"…So I'm assuming that you haven't heard the wonderful news?"

"Uh… no, I guess I haven't."

He sighed and then continued.

"After the battle in the North Pole…"

Zuko paused and decided whether he should mention their fight, and ask why she and the Avatar had taken him back to the oasis. He made a mental note to ask later.

"After that, my uncle and I were cast out of the fire nation. My own father…"

He heard Katara inhale sharply, but he just closed his eyes and continued.

"He discarded me… he asked my sister to catch me and make me prisoner."

Zuko opened his eyes when he saw that Katara was growling in anger.

"Oh, you feel _so_ bad for me?"

"No! It's her! I hate Azula! Every time she tried to capture us, it was even worse than with you! There was one time when we almost flew into a mountain because of that witch! And she's your _sister_? No wonder."

Zuko cocked his eyebrow at her, and then she chuckled shyly.

"Uh, sorry. I guess you don't like her that much either?"

"Not liking her is such a simple way to put it. But yes, I don't."

"So then, what happened?"

There was a sudden breeze and the forest fell silent. The birds stopped chirping and the trees started to rustle their branches against one another.

"She captured my uncle. He's gone…"

Katara clasped her hands to her mouth and then Zuko turned towards her, his eyes staring into hers with defiance and overwhelming emotion. Katara found herself turning weak because of his strong gaze on her. His voice was only a whisper but it sent her hair on its end.

"You don't have to say anything… I'm done grieving."

At that moment, Katara realized this person she was conversing with had changed completely. Her heart was pouring out towards him. His own family had cast him away, and his uncle was gone forever. Zuko was strong enough to go on living in hiding; just hoping he wouldn't get caught. This needed strength that she didn't think she even had. Truth though was that she had someone out there thinking about her, Sokka, Aang, master Pakku, her grandmother, but Zuko had no one.

"… I'm sorry…"

"Don't be."

He stood up again, and this time he walked towards the hut before Katara stood and spoke up.

"I just don't know what to say."

"Maybe you just don't realize that not everyone has to follow a certain path in life."

Zuko went into the hut, and brought out canteens for water.

"Come on. We have to go fill these up."

He walked right by her, not even giving her a small smile. But Katara let it slide, after all he had just told her something that was extremely personal. She began to wonder why he decided to tell her everything, and why he was helping her anyways. The answer came to her from what Zuko had said. He was all alone, and he had no one to talk to. Katara smiled to herself, and followed without speaking to him.

"Here… take one and fill it up."

She took a canteen and studied it sadly. Usually she would fill it up using her bending, but she didn't even want to try because it would make her even more miserable. The river was clean and when she knelt down, her hand felt the cool water flow by her. It gave her sense of fulfillment like bending had never given her before. She never really felt water before, she just bended it. Now as the canteen filled itself, a smile spread across her lips. An idea popped into her head. She looked over at Zuko, who had filled up four canteens already. He was so glum and miserable looking. Katara knew that her objective would be to turn that frown upside down.

Zuko took the last canteen and filled it up. When he closed it, and put it down, he jerked as he felt cold water fall down his head. His hair was sleek, wet, and it stuck closely to his head. Katara couldn't contain her laughter and so she let it out without hesitation. Zuko turned around towards her and saw the empty canteen dripping its last few drops of water onto the ground. He growled in anger, but his expression eased as he saw how happy she was. A thought occurred to him; she had done it as a mild childish act, she didn't do it with her bending. All Katara had done was spill water from a canteen onto his head. It wasn't any kind of act showing power; instead it was just for fun and laughter.

Katara was too busy laughing to notice what Zuko was doing. He took a canteen and quickly dumped the water all over Katara's head. Her eyes went wide and she put her hands to her head.

"You are so going to regret doing that!"

Zuko laughed for what seemed the first time in a very long time. She smiled when she saw his radiant side again. Katara ran over to the pile of canteens and then opened one up. Zuko saw this, and he started to run away from her. Katara chased him through the trees until she finally was able to get him doused with water again. The process repeated itself until the canteens were all empty.

"Looks like we need to refill the canteens."

She smiled at Zuko and he smiled back.

"Looks like it, doesn't it?"

In no time, the canteens were filled up again, and this time they remained that way. Zuko stored them in the hut, but when he walked out again and saw Katara he smirked to himself.

"Now you will finally see what's it's like to dry your clothes like a normal person."

"Oh? And how would a _normal person_ such as yourself do that?"

Zuko shrugged his shoulders and then disappeared into the forest. Katara smiled and began to follow him once again.

..:-:..

A group of men were making their way into the forest. These men weren't just any men. All of these men were pirates, and leading the way was the Captain of the ship. His face displayed an air of annoyance and anger.

"We are going to find the dirty thieves, and then we are going to kill them, understood?"

Everyone agreed with their captain and soon they all disappeared into the forest.

..:-:..

"Zuko? Where are you?"

The light was beginning to grow brighter in the part of the forest where Katara was. She still hadn't found Zuko, and she was beginning to wonder if she had lost his track, but right then she found him sitting in an open field, located right in the middle of nowhere. Katara sat down next to him and observed the beauty of the surrounding nature.

"How long have you been living here Zuko?"

"Long enough. This place is really the only retreat I have. No one else knows about it. At least I hope no one else does."

She eyed him curiously, and she couldn't help but ask.

"So if someone found you… what would happen?"

"I'd be taken away to the fire nation and locked up. My father thinks of me as a disgrace."

"Zuko… you're not a disgrace."

He suddenly turned his head towards her violently.

"Oh yeah? And how would you know?"

Katara's voice was carried softly to his ears by the breeze in between them.

"I've seen you fight… I've fought you myself, and if your father doesn't think anything of it, then he is crazy."

"Yeah right, didn't you see Azula fight? She's a prodigy! I'm nothing…"

"That's not true Zuko… you are something. You've worked hard at bending and that's not considered as nothing in my mind."

Zuko shook his head and looked off into the forest.

"Well thanks a lot… but you're not my father."

She was hurt and she looked away sadly. Zuko realized what he had said and wanted to take it back immediately.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean it like that… I mean… thanks… it's just that no one really has ever cared."

Katara turned towards him again and decided to forgive him.

"Well get used to it…"

They looked at each other for a second, and then Katara looked away, blushing.

"…since we are both in hiding and all… I guess we can keep each other company?"

Zuko made a mental check mark in his mind. His plan had worked. She was on his side now.

"Sure, why not?"

She looked at Zuko, and he smiled genuinely and from the heart. Katara couldn't help but have her heart melt on the spot. However there was one thing was still making her have doubts.

"Zuko? When you found me…"

"I just found you in the forest like you were when you woke up. You didn't have anything with you, if that's what you think, that I stole it from you."

Katara was relieved.

"Oh no no! It's not that… it's just well… I don't remember how I got there in the first place is all… Thank you Zuko."

She smiled and he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," and he shrugged his shoulders again.

Everything was turning out to be a perfect day. They stayed there for a good portion of the day, laughing, drying out in the sun, and enjoying each other's company. Zuko had found a patch of flowers and he decided to take some and give them to Katara. She was shocked by the display of affection and caring, but she accepted the gift and decided then that she could now trust Zuko. After all, he hadn't mentioned one word about Aang.

The happiness came to an abrupt end when arrows flew to the ground by their feet. They both became alert, and Zuko shielded Katara with his body.

"Whoever you are, show yourselves!"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** All right, I admit, Zuko shouldn't have the topknot, so think of the picture I told you about in the previous chapter, but without the topknot lol XD I hope you enjoy this chapter… tell me what you think about it! Hahaha…. (bemused smile)

* * *

**Chapter 7**

The breeze ruffled the hem of Katara's kimono and she lightly dug her hands into Zuko's arm. It wasn't that she afraid, it was the fact that she couldn't see her enemy and the fact that she couldn't water bend. Zuko's head darted from left to right; his eyes scanned every little part in the forest. Somehow, they were all camouflaged, or they were just not moving. Suddenly though, the captain strode out from the forest and into the clearing. Zuko had to keep himself concentrated in order to not show any sign of astonishment and worry. Somehow, they had been tracked.

"Well, well, well. Look at what we caught here boys. Some beggar and his wench!"

Everything happened at once. By the cue of his words and heinous laughter, the rest of the pirates came out into the clearing. They were all smiling and nodding along with their captain, cranking their heads so that they could observe the beauty hiding behind the man with the scar. Katara shriveled behind Zuko when she heard that remark. She had no weapon except for him at that point, and she was now wishing that Zuko had never found her. Zuko was outraged when he heard what the captain had to say. When he surveyed all of their snickering faces, he lost his temper. In one swift movement, Zuko stepped forward and punched the captain in the face.

"She is not my wench, and I'm no beggar! I'm warning you, don't you _ever_ say that again!"

Katara's shield was four feet away from her, and she was left wobbling in place with half of the pirates eyeing her, and the rest making a move to help their captain. She was beginning to feel nervous and she wasn't feeling that well. The captain stood up with the help of his crew, and three men were holding Zuko back. He eyed him curiously and then smirked.

"For a second there I didn't recognize you, _Prince_ Zuko, or wait, is it just Zuko now?"

Zuko growled and tried to make a move, but was detained by the pirates. The captain walked forward and pulled out the string that held Zuko's topknot together. His hair fell into his face and Zuko winced as the string fell to the ground.

"I thought you were smarter than that. Don't you know that your hair isn't going to… hide your horrendous scar? But then again, you deserve to be marked as a beast."

Katara's group of men was now focusing their attention on Zuko. She was free to run away and leave Zuko all alone to face them by himself. But she wasn't going to do that. Instead, she found a long branch that had fallen, and then ran straight towards the captain.

"Leave him alone!"

She tried to hit the captain, but as she swung the branch, he caught it in his hand and threw it aside, leaving Katara to gape wide eyed. The captain then pulled her in close to him and held her hands behind her back. With his other hand, he slid a crooked finger across one of her cheeks. Zuko looked at this and felt sickened that he couldn't do anything about it.

"I remember you too now… weren't you the one we tied up a while ago? Well I must say, I didn't think you would… _ripen_ so well."

All of the pirates laughed along with their captain as he began to lean in for a kiss. Zuko's rage hit its breaking point and that was when the fire from his palms erupted without even thinking about it. The sky was turning pitch black, and lightening scattered across it, startling the pirates and their captain. A burning red and orange flame was seen and the screams of a few pirates echoed into the forest. Zuko, mad with fury, kept away all of the pirates, punching them and burning whatever he came in contact with. Finally, he was free to attack their leader.

But as he did, the captain saw something glinting in the fire's light. His eyes widened and when he spoke, Zuko froze on the spot, his fire dying out completely.

"_The Azure Jewel_… you _stole_ my jewel!"

Another bolt of lightening flashed across the sky, and this time it was accompanied with a thunderous boom. The captain let go of Katara, but she just stood there along with him, gaping at Zuko's wrist. The Azure Jewel was hanging there, and she lost it. She became speechless and horrified at her thoughts. Zuko had betrayed her… he had purposefully gotten rid of her bending and he knew it all along. He had used her…

"Give it back, right now!"

The captain's voice boomed out almost as loud as the thunder, but then it remained quiet. All of the pirates were lying motionless in the clearing. Zuko's hand dropped, and the Jewel slid down to the ground. His eyes interlocked with two crystallized ones, and his stomach dropped down to the ground as well. What had he done?

"I found it in the forest… I'm sorry…"

His voice died into the eerie silence, and the breeze picked up, whipping his hair into his face. It was an apology towards first the captain, and then Katara. But as the captain took a step forward, Zuko thrust his arm and the captain's face disappeared into an array of flames. He fell to the ground silently, and then only Katara was left standing.

"I can't believe it. I … I …"

Zuko saw the tears fall down her cheeks, and then before he knew it, she had run off into the forest. All of his anger rose up in his chest again, and he had lost his head. His emotions were interfering with logic, and what he did next was irrational and only out of anger. Zuko thrust his arm towards the ground, and beneath it, the Azure Jewel melted from the smoldering temperature of the flames.

..:-:..

Katara was running through the trees and branches, not caring that it felt like this had happened before. Only a short while ago, she had been running away from the other Red Spirit because she had felt betrayed. Now, she was running away from Zuko, because she again had felt betrayed. It was all too similar, but she wasn't thinking about that at the moment. Instead, she kept running, all the while the storm was progressing above her quickly. Once in every while, lightening would light the way for her, and it helped. But most of the time, she was hit with the branches surrounding her. Finally, she tripped like before, but this time she didn't lose consciousness.

"Katara! Wait!"

She heard the voice and was dumbstruck. Had Zuko really used her actual name? She quickly found her strength and stood up. Zuko wasn't too far away, and it looked like he wasn't going to give up. Without thinking, she ran into the next clearing and closed her eyes. Her legs did the running, and she didn't care where they were going to go. Zuko burst out of the forest, and he couldn't believe what he was witnessing.

Katara was about to run off of a cliff.

"Katara, stop! Don't do it!"

For some reason, she did stop, and then she turned around, opened her eyes, and she saw Zuko staring at her wide eyed and desperate. She stood there panting and breathless, but she still spoke out her anger.

"What do you want from me Zuko? Do you want to use me? Oh wait! You already have! How could you? How could… _you?_ I don't even know why I thought you had changed!"

His mouth closed tightly and he looked away ashamed.

"I'm sorry… I didn't…"

"It doesn't matter what you say to me! I should have never trusted you, even if you did help me recover. You took the Azure, and you used it so you could control me, and I'll _never_ forgive you for that!"

She turned on her heel, and all of the air in her lungs escaped. Lightening flashed in the sky, a bit too close for comfort. But that wasn't her biggest problem. The vast space of darkness under her was everywhere, and before she could do anything about it, she slipped.

"Katara!"

Zuko ran to the edge of the cliff, and when he saw the color of her kimono, he breathed a sigh of relief. But everything was still not all right.

"Katara, give me your hand!"

She was hanging from a branch in the side of the cliff, but she was barely hanging on.

"No! I don't trust you! You are going to grab me and then let go!"

"Are you crazy? I'm not a cold-blooded monster! Now give me your hand!"

Another flash of lightening lit the area around them, but Zuko suddenly had a sickening feeling. He felt heat, a lot of it, and it was close by. Suddenly, Katara and Zuko turned their heads and saw that a fire was raging from where the bolt had hit the cliff. Wherever the bottom was, it wasn't too far away, and the fire was spreading quickly. For some reason, there was no rain, and Zuko cursed Agni for the first time in his life.

"Katara, you need to trust me! You are going to get yourself killed if you don't give me your hand!"

She bit her lip as she watched the fire spread beneath her. Her forehead was crawling with trickles of sweat, and then she looked up at Zuko. Everything inside of her was telling her not to trust him, but there was an ounce telling her she should. Katara looked up into his golden eyes and saw worry, desperate worry.

"…All right…"

Zuko nodded and bent down towards her outstretched hand. Each of them closed their eyes and gripped onto each other's arms. Zuko used all of his strength, and little by little, he pulled Katara up and back onto the cliff. As he was doing this, the fire was inching its way up the cliff rapidly. When Zuko got Katara up to safety, he pulled her up automatically as a wall of flames erupted. He grabbed her hand and they ran into the forest, away from the cliff, the clearing and the flames. Once Zuko stopped, there was another bolt of lightening, a loud crack in the air, and a shower of rain pummeled onto them. Katara immediately wrapped her arms around Zuko and he wrapped his arms around her protectively. He noticed that her breathing was heavy, and he could feel her heart beating wildly against his. Katara didn't know what she was doing, but tears mixed with drops of rain on her cheek. She felt safe in his arms, and she didn't want to let go. There were no more bolts of lightening as the rain calmed everything into place. In the distance the raging fire was sizzling out, and the blaze was finally gone.

The rain continued to fall, but in the forest it was only a light drizzle. Zuko heard soft sobs come from the woman he was holding. He pulled her even closer towards him, and reassured her by stroking her loose hair with his hand. Katara felt him squeeze her and it reassured her that everything was going to be all right. Her sobs lightened up, and soon she wasn't crying anymore.

"Katara… I don't know what I would have done if I didn't see you in all of that darkness…"

Her eyes opened up and she looked up at his face. In the faint light, she couldn't tell if those were tears or drops of rain on his cheeks, but she went with the rain. But still, she was astounded at what he had said, most of all because it sounded so sincere. Her face grew hot, but she couldn't look away from his fierce eyes. Zuko found himself lost in her delicate eyes as well. His anger had vanished and instead of it, he was surrounded by the tranquility of the soft drizzling rain, and most of all by her presence.

"Then why did you take away my bending?"

Katara's voice chilled Zuko's back as if it was a ghost, but really it was a haunting feeling of guilt. She reached her hand up slowly, but didn't touch his cheek. Instead, the water disappeared and circled her hand. It felt like bliss to water bend again. But how could that have been possible if Zuko had the Azure with him? Zuko saw the confused look on her face, and then he loosened his arms, let his hands fall to his sides, and stepped away. Katara watched him pull something that was burned from under his sleeve.

"Is that…"

Zuko's eyes pierced hers as well and she knew it was true. In his hand was the melted Azure Jewel. She felt new tears forming in her eyes, but she held them back.

"I don't know what possessed me to do it Katara. When I found you… I thought you would fight against me."

"Well obviously I didn't…"

Her voice sounded wounded like an animal, but Zuko held his composure. He wasn't so weak that he would bend his back at whatever a woman had to say.

"All right already! I know you didn't! I'm sorry all right? I am a ruthless horrible person from the fire nation and I don't deserve to be talking to you! Is that what you are thinking? Because I hope I could confirm your doubts!"

He looked at her and he could tell that she was rethinking her thoughts about him. Zuko slapped his forehead and growled at himself.

"I did it again. I'm a sorry excuse of a human being."

That last part was mumbled, but Katara heard it. In a matter of a minute, she went from hating him, to feeling sorry for him, to not knowing what to think. As if starting from scratch, she walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Zuko… don't say that. Do you know what you did?"

"What? I bet it was something wrong, correct?"

She smiled softly and when he looked up at her again, his eyes softened as well.

"No Zuko. You did something extraordinary. You are the person that has freed every water bender from the worry that one day they would have their abilities stripped from them."

His mouth parted slightly and he looked at her confusion. She was happy that he had gotten rid of the Azure? But it was something so valuable that it was worth a life.

"But Katara… I'm still sorry, and there is nothing you can say that would not make me feel responsible."

"All right, I understand that. But could you answer one question? And answer it honestly."

He nodded slowly, and she continued.

"Why did you really help me? Why did you go through all of the trouble to use that jewel so I wouldn't be able to resist you if need be?"

Zuko closed his eyes, and then looked at the ground.

"As you know, my loyalties don't lie with my father anymore. I am on your side. When I saw you, I thought I could eventually tell you, and I thought you might not believe me. I thought that I would be … beaten again… like at the North Pole. I needed someone to talk to, I've been isolated and everything seemed reasonable at the time."

Katara stepped away for a moment, and her back faced him. She pushed back her loose hair and thought about everything he had said. For some reason, she finally felt that he was speaking the truth. It pleased her, and she knew that it wasn't easy for him to say it. Inside, she beamed with hope, and a thought occurred to her. The rain was letting up, and then she turned towards Zuko. His eyes looked hopeful.

"All right. I believe you."

She walked right up to him, and gave him a tight hug, which Zuko didn't respond to at first. Each of them felt a bit awkward about it, but something inside wanted it to last longer than the few seconds that it did. Katara stepped away nervously, and then Zuko looked at her quizzically.

"What was that for?"

"That was a thank you."

"For what?"

"For saving my life Zuko. I would have been dead if it wasn't for you following me to the cliff."

Zuko suddenly smiled and so did she. The intensity had been lifted and they were laughing slightly like before.

"Hey Zuko, I have an idea."

"Oh? What is it?"

"I don't know why, but I'm in the mood for… a rematch."

Zuko gaped at her disbelievingly. After that confession, she still wanted to torture him? But her smile and her radiant eyes made him give in. If it made her happy, then he would do it. He stood out with his hands in an attack position, and then smirked.

"Are you ready to lose?"

"No way Zuko, you know I'm going to win… again…"

It wasn't to be cruel, she said it playfully, and even with a hint of flirtatious flavoring. They both knew that Katara had the advantage; there was water everywhere. Zuko's power was dying out as the night began. The sun was gone, and he wasn't as angry as before. This battle would be over before they knew it. With a twist of her wrist, Katara gathered the water that was hanging from the leaves and that was in the air, and encircled it around the two of them. Zuko threw blasts of fire at her, but water sprang forth from the never-ending wave, and little clouds of smoke were left in the collision's place. Katara smiled, and Zuko began to feel heat in his cheeks. His heart began to race as the circle of water began to grow smaller and smaller. Katara began to move closer towards him, and he didn't know what to do. He stood there like a statue, awaiting her next offensive move.

After a few minutes, Katara was a foot away from him, a glint of victory in her eyes.

"Zuko, how does it feel to have lost once again to me?"

He didn't respond, but he wasn't smiling anymore. What was she really getting at? If she had really wanted to battle him, then she would have done something a long time ago. His mind was racing, along with his heart, because for once, he had no idea what was happening. Then, suddenly, as Katara wanted to take another step towards him, her victorious smile disappeared, as she tripped. The circle of water fell to the ground and instantaneously Zuko lunged forwards, and grabbed her by the waist. Their breath was interlocked with one another, and there was a cool heat radiating in between them. Each of their gazes was only on the others face, and they were frozen in time.

Zuko helped her up into a straight position, with his arms still around her. Katara's arms were on his strong shoulders, and their faces were inches apart. Zuko's voice caused Katara to flinch, as suddenly, she wasn't the one winning the battle anymore.

"I'm not so sure I'm the one losing… Katara…"

He didn't smile, but in his face she saw a hidden strength built up inside of him. It was so incredible that she was overwhelmed by it. There was so much about this person that she didn't know of, and yet, something inside her pushed her towards him. Her mouth parted slightly as she observed his, also somewhat open. The mystifying thoughts that encircled him were left hanging, as she reached up towards his face to push away the loose strands of hair behind his ear. In the darkness, she didn't see a scar, or anything horrifying about him. Instead, she lost herself in him, her lips finally finding their way to his.

Zuko closed his eyes at her touch, and found himself lost in her kiss. He pulled her in towards him, and poured out everything he could not say in words. Their kiss was breathtaking, and each of them found each other enthralled by their surprising passion. Katara clung to his neck and curved herself into his overtaking form. Zuko's arms worked their way up and down her back, and finally coming to rest at her waist. She sighed as he began to kiss her ear, feeling his lips travel down her neck. All of this was so new to her that she felt herself succumbed to him. Zuko didn't know how he had found himself so dominant, but by the sound of her sharp intake of breath, he knew he was doing something right. He kissed her on the lips again, this time even more powerfully than before. Zuko felt her fingers dig into his neck, but he didn't mind. After what seemed like forever, the two of them stopped, and just held each other in a comforting embrace.

"Zuko… I think I lost that battle."

She looked up at him to see him smiling.

"Are you sad about that?"

Katara kissed him lightly on the lips and let her head rest on his shoulder.

"No, not at all."

..:-:..

Everyone quieted down when she entered the tavern. Her face emitted the deepest disgust and hatred, and all of the men quivered when she walked closely by them. She came to a halting stop at the middle, in between the two groups of men.

"Who would like to help me?"

It wasn't a question; it was a command. All of the men around her nodded their heads and raised their hands. Azula smiled evilly and clapped her hands together.

"Excellent."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Yes, yes, I know, I haven't updated in forever and you wanted me too right? Well I guess the time has come! Lol… but don't get too excited because this chapter isn't going to bring any kind of dramatic change… _but it's getting there… _(evil laugh mwhahaha!) I'm serious though… Chapter 9 is going to be eye popping! I promise! But for now… enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Katara smiled to herself as she felt the warm sunlight on her face. The bed she was sleeping in was extremely comfortable, so much that she didn't want to get up. Her thoughts carried her away to the strong embrace that she was cradled in last night. Suddenly her eyes jerked open, and her gaze darted everywhere through out the hut. She pulled the covers back sharply and stood up, fixing her clothes as she did. Her smile vanished; Zuko wasn't there. He must have left before she woke up. Katara sighed sadly, there was a yearning inside of her to kiss his lips again. Unfortunately that wasn't possible at the moment. There was nothing to do in the hut, and then she thought of her own habitat she called home. Biting her lips slightly, she stepped out into the forest and made her way reluctantly away from Zuko's hut.

..:-:..

Zuko had kissed her soft chocolate hair and took one last look at her peaceful sleeping form. He smiled to himself for a second, and then a frown took its place. Next to the bed was a table, on which his mask rested. He sighed deeply and then put the mask on. As he left the hut, he could hear her shuffling about inside. Without looking back, he left for Tochigi; he had some unfinished business to attend to.

Once there, Zuko hid among the shadows and climbed up onto the roofs which dotted the landscape. He had found himself inside of an aristocrat's hideaway, from where one could see all of Tochigi. There were mounds of gold pieces scattered everywhere, most likely taken away from the common village people. Zuko's world had been turned upside down however, and he no longer thought of taking it all for himself. Instead, he scooped up as much as he could and then jumped down swiftly onto the bustling streets. He made his way carefully, watching out for anyone that could spot him, and finally Zuko was in the poorest part of Tochigi. Darting through the shadows like a ghost, he left the villagers stunned as they turned their backs, to find a small pile of gold at their feet. Little kids eyes widened with joy and mothers thanked the unknown being for the pure kindness of heart.

After about a half hour, Zuko's bag was empty, and he was in a good enough mood, so he decided to risk going back for some more. Unfortunately as he approached the door leading to the room, he heard loud arguing.

"What do you mean, _missing_?"

"The Pirates have left. There is no sight or trace of them sir."

"Those bastards! They took half of my money and fled!"

Zuko smiled to himself. The pirates had left, naturally, but the stolen money was blamed on them, and not him. He listened on intently while the sun began to decrease his shadow filled hiding spot.

"I thought I could trust them! How else am I supposed to acquire that jewel? All of this money could easily pay for it!"

"Sir, if it is any consolation to you, I might like to say that I have a piece of good news for you."

Zuko heard a chair being thrown across the room.

"Good news? I'm not in the mood for some good news! I have lost the Azure Jewel, unless you know of a way to get another jewel…"

"Actually Sir, that is exactly what I was going to say."

There was a spreading silence in the room, and when it reached him, Zuko's hairs stood on their ends. Suddenly he realized that he would no longer be covered in shadows, and he would be exposed, because it was nearing noon, and there was nowhere he could hide to get away. But this was such vital information that he needed to know about, and so he decided to risk it.

"Well then? Spit it out."

"Have you heard who is in town? It's none other than the Princess of the Fire Nation."

Zuko didn't get to hear anymore, because at that moment he saw a figure immerge from the house across the street. The woman stared at Zuko in fear and was about to shout out, when he disappeared from her view. She rubbed her eyes and then he wasn't there anymore.

He ran making a bare minimum of contact with the ground. The foul odors of the alleyways were causing Zuko a discomforting feeling in his stomach. Soon enough, he was out of breath and he was starting to become dizzy. Everything inside of him was shutting down and the knowledge of his sister's whereabouts were no comfort at all. Suddenly he tripped and landed face down in the dirt. His mask went flying into one of the garbage disposals, and his world blacked out. At that moment, Miaka stepped out into the alley behind her humble home and she gasped when she saw the man lying in it covered with scratches and dirt. Right after she took out the trash, she pulled the man in with all of her strength. Little did she know what kind of situation she was getting herself into.

..:-:..

Katara found her hut after almost two hours of searching. She had no idea where Zuko's hut had been located, but after risking tracking the forest while in view Tochigi, she found her way. Nothing had changed in her hut, and for that she was utterly grateful. With the pirates wonderful welcome, she had worried they would have found her hut and raided it of all her necessities, but everything was right where it should have been. Even Katara's second disguise was fixed and ready to go. Her logical thinking always came in handy, and now she put it on, feeling renewed and ready to go ahead with her challenge. She was going to go to Tochigi and win back her name. The Red Spirit was no criminal and she intended for the situation to remain like that. If she would find the other spirit, her anger would not hold her back.

But when she found her way into Tochigi, she realized how unprepared she had been. After a few days away from the village, many things had changed. For one, a couple people had seen her, and instead of attacking her, they praised her and thanked her for "_the kindness given to them_". Katara had no clue what had happened, but she didn't let her guard down just yet. The afternoon was closing in and then she figured out who to go to, her friend and confidant, Miaka.

She was in her house just as usual. Katara made her way inside, cautiously like always. However the house smelled of strange herbs and medications that she wasn't used to. Katara made her way past the colorful vases and flowers in the main hallway, and found herself in the sitting room, which had been redecorated to fit the changing season. Summer was on its way to an end, not quite, but Miaka was always one step ahead of everyone. The room was decorated with bare branches extending along the top of the walls. The bamboo rug wasn't covered in drawings of leaves, but that too was bare. The light hazel, orange, and yellow colors dotted the table with cups and plates. Finally after a few minutes, Miaka appeared in the room, and she clapped her hands together with a sigh.

"Oh my dear Katara! How wonderful it is to see you!"

She stood up and bowed.

"It is wonderful to see you as well."

They sat down at the table like the numerous times before, and surprisingly Miaka was the one to start out.

"Oh, can you believe the horrid smell in this place?"

"Why actually, I thought that it was different than before… what happened?"

"Could you imagine? I was just taking out the trash, when suddenly, I spotted a young man lying in the alley!"

Katara thought vaguely and only for a second that it could have been Zuko, but the chances must have been unimaginably slim.

"So he was just lying there?"

"Yes. I, being the wonderfully kind person that I am, took him in, and by no means was it an easy task!"

Miaka sipped on her tea and then continued.

"Well, when I got him into the spare room, I figured out what was wrong with him… I haven't seen the case in a long time, but apparently the man had been taken down with a severe shock in his nerves. That, combined with lack of nutrition and a swollen bruise on his head, I don't know how he managed to get as far as the back of my house!"

As she described the man more and more, Katara couldn't help but think that it was Zuko she had nursed back to health.

"…I'm sorry to interrupt Miaka, but what did the man look like?"

"Oh, he had long scruffy black hair, and a pair of piercing golden eyes. But the thing that got me most about him was his scar! You should have seen it… it covered half of his face, it was so horrid!"

Katara dropped her empty cup and her eyes widened with fright.

"Darling, are you all right?"

"Miaka, is he still here?"

"Oh no… once he woke up and was all better, he immediately got up and left. At least he thanked me for my services… but it was still rude of him to just take off like that!"

Katara's mind was running wild now and her heart was racing. Zuko couldn't find out that she was here in Tochigi as the Red Spirit. He might think that she had betrayed his trust, but that was not going to happen.

"Thank you so much Miaka for your hospitality, but I must be going now."

"Oh, leaving so soon? Well I guess you can't stay here all day long, now can you? But before you leave, I think I should warn you! Princess Azula of the Fire Nation is in town, and I don't think it would be wise for you to run into her."

"…really? Then I should leave now…"

With that, Katara was out of the house, and hiding in between shadows once again.

..:-:..

Once Zuko was out of that lady's house, he found his mask and decided to go pay the aristocrat another visit. Thankfully this time, there was no one in the room. Quickly, Zuko grabbed a bunch of gold pieces, this time for himself. If Azula was in town, he needed to be prepared for anything. Not a single sound was heard when Zuko dropped down from the roof, but that didn't matter. To his misfortune, he was staring into the face of the other Red Spirit, which he knew to be Katara. Again, Zuko mentally cursed at himself for not being more careful.

Katara was in a state of shock. She had just merely gotten past most of the houses in Tochigi without running into anyone, and here she was standing right in front of her enemy. That's what he was to her now, even more so because in his hand was another bag of gold pieces. She found a pair of long bamboo sticks lying in a pile outside one of the houses, and now she used them in an attack stance. Zuko quickly tied the bag to his waist, and automatically decided what he was going to do. Right as Katara was going to take a lunge at him, he got a hold of the stick and pulled her towards him. Katara spun around right as Zuko ran past her. She saw the black figure fading into the distance, and her anger propelled itself so that she threw the sticks into the ground, breaking them in half. He had gotten away, but she had more important things to worry about. She needed to get to Zuko as fast as she could.

..:-:..

Zuko had enough time to get some food and bring it back to the hut. Once there, he tidied it up a bit just in case Katara would feel like returning. Suddenly, he felt completely exhausted, from everything. The knowledge of Azula's presence was overwhelming at that moment, and the burden of keeping his secret from Katara was becoming heavier each second that he had to keep it hidden. Zuko fell onto his bed, and he felt the warm summer air flow through every inch of the hut. Soon enough, he fell asleep.

Katara had made her way back to her hut without running into anyone else. She put away her disguise, and stopped by a pond to make sure she looked all right for Zuko. Now that she was so close with him, she began to feel butterflies in her stomach as she neared his hut. There was always the chance that he wasn't even there, and she would get her hopes up for no reason, but when she stood in the doorway, her heart melted on the spot. She saw him spread out on his bed, and he looked completely worn out. Katara tipped toed over towards him, and gently caressed his face. Her heart was torn however, because now she had a secret that she had to keep from him. She had been fighting the thoughts in her mind the whole way there; she couldn't tell Zuko that she knew what had happened to him at Miaka's house, because that way she would have to explain how she knew Miaka, and how she led a double life as the Red Spirit.

Zuko woke up by the touch of someone's hand on his cheek. He smiled slightly and then he felt her lips on his. Katara lifted her head up after the brief kiss, and then Zuko opened his eyes to see her beautiful face smiling down at him.

"I didn't know that you were going to leave this morning… but I see that you still manage to get your sleep Zuko."

He chuckled lightly, and then sat up with her help, he rubbed his head, but then winced in pain as he took a sharp breath. Katara was at his side immediately and she put her hand on his head delicately.

"Where does it hurt?"

Her magnificent eyes mesmerized him, and for a second Zuko didn't respond. Only after a minute did he point to the spot on right side of his head. Katara tilted his head and then with a small wave of her hand, water came to her. She placed it on the bruise and Zuko found the pain shrinking away. After only a moment, the bruise was gone, and Katara's job was done.

"There you go. It's all better. How do you feel?"

They were both sitting on the bed and she was right next to him. Zuko suddenly pulled her in close to him, and kissed her passionately. Katara couldn't think about anything at the moment except for how wonderful it felt to be with Zuko again. Her morning wish came true, and then she hugged him fiercely. Zuko rested his head on hers, and then rubbed his hand on her arm lovingly.

"I feel much better now…"

Katara smiled and then got up. Zuko followed her and they found a spot outside to set up a picnic. Katara laughed and shrugged off her embarrassment when her stomach growled loudly. Zuko didn't seem to care and she was glad of that. They ate in peace, with occasional conversation, but the one thing that couldn't be put aside was what the day's events included.

"So how was your day?"

Zuko squirmed uncomfortably while he thought of a lie.

"Oh, nothing much… I just went into town and found some food… how about you?"

Katara looked around panicking. She had never tried lying before.

"I just went back to my hut and tidied up around there."

Both of them nodded and averted the others gaze; each had their own secret and it wasn't about to be revealed then and there.

"So… would you want to show me your hut… or is that not going to happen?"

He chuckled to himself and she smiled.

"Nope. I'm not sure if I can really _trust _you at this point Zuko."

He made an exasperated face of shock, and then he brought her face close to his.

"Really? Because if you didn't trust me… oh I don't know… you wouldn't _be _here… but I guess if that's how it is… saving a life isn't significant enough then…"

She laughed playfully as she hugged him.

"You know I'm joking… but it's just that I don't think there is a point for me to go back to my hut, now is there?"

Zuko eyed her curiously and pulled away.

"What do you mean _there is no point_?"

"Well, why don't I just move in with you? It would be so much easier… right?"

He couldn't resist her gorgeous smile, and he fell for it.

"I suppose you are right. But you will have to work hard to support the hut."

"Oh? And how would I do that?"

Zuko pulled her in close to him, and then the two of them laid back on the grass, propping their heads on a large rock.

"You have to sit back, and relax for once."

She smiled to herself, and closed her eyes, while the last rays of sunlight made their way through the rustling canopy of leaves. Everything was quiet, and she cuddled up to him. Katara felt the even control in his breathing by the rise and fall of his chest. Without opening her eyes, she imagined her mother playing with her when she was young.

"Zuko… do you remember your mother?"

His eyelids fell and memories of his amazing mother came flooding back. Suddenly Katara's head was lifted higher than usual as Zuko took a deep intake of air.

"Yes… she was beautiful and she had a big heart… sometimes I think that's what killed her off… her weakness for loving people."

Katara sat up and Zuko opened his eyes.

"What do you mean _her weakness_? Loving people does not make a person weak!"

She was upset by the remark, but Zuko quickly corrected it.

"But I've learned how wrong that is… you helped me see that Katara."

A light cherry blush spread across her cheeks and she looked away.

"How about yours?"

"My mother was wonderful too… it's on days like these that I remember her the most. She always radiated a warmth that soothed my worries."

There was a silence as the two remembered their departed mothers. Then a thought occurred to Katara.

"I was wondering though… how come Azula is so different than you? Wasn't your mother alive long enough for her to raise Azula as well as you?"

"She was… but Azula never accepted my mother because she couldn't fire bend. She thought of my mother as a weak person she shouldn't associate herself with…"

"Even at that young of an age?"

"Yes… you could say that she inherited every gene from my father… except for her looks… she resembles my mother quite remarkably…"

Katara could see the pain in his eyes as he looked off into the distance. She crept up close to him and gave him a soft kiss. Zuko wrapped his arms around her, around the girl that he was beginning to fall for fast. He breathed in the scent of her hair and sighed.

"You don't have to worry about it though Katara… even though she's here, she won't be able to hurt us… not if we stay far away from Tochigi, hidden in this forest."

Katara looked at his confident face and she could see the maturity he had undergone in the past year. Neither of them wanted to talk about the past anymore, so they stood up and walked back into the hut.

..:-:..

Azula found herself in the tavern once again, and she was sitting in a corner of the room. Across the table was a middle aged man, an aristocrat who governed the village.

"So to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"I have heard rumors that you know of the Carmine Jewel…"

"Why would you like to confirm those rumors?"

"You see Princess Azula, I am a collector of historic artifacts, and I would love to have it in my possession, of course I know it will have a heavy price, but I am willing to pay."

Azula drummed her fingers on the table and pretended to take the offer up.

"All right, I am in a good mood and am willing to make some arrangements… but you must do something for me first."

"Of course! Anything you need me to do, I'll do it!"

She smiled with a hidden plan behind her eyes.

"I believe you've heard of the Red Spirit?"

"Yes I have…"

"Have you heard that there are two of them?"

The man's eyes widened with shock.

"But how is that possible?"

"The kind gentlemen in this tavern have told me much about this duo. Supposedly, one is a man, and the other is a woman; their figures give it away. Now, I think these two should be stopped at once, so I need your assistance with this task."

He nodded and closed his eyes.

"I see… what would you like me to do?"

"Get a young man of yours who is willing to do the job… make sure he's charming and… persuasive."

They both stood up and shook hands. Azula watched him walk out of the tavern and then she looked around at everyone else there. '_Stupid fools…' _Azula walked out of the tavern and breathed in the electrifying evening air.

"There's a hint of friction in the air tonight… that's just the way I like it."

She put her fingers together and then sent a spark of lightening up into the sky, laughing as she did it.

Katara had gone to the edge of the forest to look for some herbs, and suddenly her jaw dropped when she saw a bolt of lightening erupt from the horizon of Tochigi. In an instant it was gone, and so she didn't think anything of it. She shrugged off the feeling, but something didn't feel right. Katara began to walk through the forest, the last bits of sunlight only a shimmer in between the trees.

* * *

**A/N:** Yeah, I know, not much happened here… except we are now on the brink of Azula's evil plan mwahahaha! And as most of us saw, she is capable of anything, right? so who knows what will happen next! Oh wait, I do teehee! I hope you liked this chapter! I needed some more zutara fluff for my own liking :)

Oh and if someone is going to think that Zuko is OOC, then you haven't read this story thoroughly. He's a changed man now, yes he is… nothing like in Bitter Work… emo Zuko, now that's something to laugh about! XD


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Okay, just to warn you guys… this chapter has some…err _graphic_ descriptions. All right, enough said. Here's the next update! I hope you like it!

* * *

**Chapter 9**

The night had finally fallen onto Tochigi and its surroundings. A long, exhausting day came to its end as Katara found her way back to the hut. She put the basket of herbs and fruits down on the ground and she smiled when she saw Zuko lying on his bed. His hair was tangled to the point where it looked like a bush. He didn't mind it though, and she looked over his face, from his closed eyes, to the tip of his nose, to his slightly open mouth. Zuko had gone through so much, she felt extremely guilty for always mistakenly thinking about his life. Katara recollected herself and began to search for another blanket. She did this as quietly as she could; Zuko looked so peaceful, and she didn't want to disturb his sleep.

Suddenly, as she was looking among the barrels in the corner, she spotted something dark but there was a bright horn sticking out. She took it into her hands, a feeling of horrible realization occurred. Deep down inside she already knew what it was, but she didn't want it to be true. Her fingers felt the round edges, the half dome, the two holes, and finally the string. As she stepped outside into the moonlight, she saw herself holding the Red Spirit's mask. The breeze blew by, sweeping the mask into the forest. Her arms felt numb, as the knowledge of betrayal seeped into her heart. Zuko heard movement and slowly opened his eyes. Katara was standing silently at the hut's opening. She turned around, and he smiled, expecting a warm welcome in return. His smile disappeared instantly. Katara's eye's were round and glazed. Tears fell down her cheeks and her trembling figure became overwhelming as she came towards him.

"Katara… what's wrong?"

"…What's _wrong_? You _betrayed _my trust Zuko! How could you keep such a secret from me?"

He stood up and she kept her eyes aimed at his. Zuko started to put his arms around her, but she pushed away violently.

"What secret Katara? I have no secrets from you!"

"Don't even _say_ those words to me! You're a liar! I can't believe I trusted the _Red Spirit_!"

As she said those two words, everything made sense, and the information was now free. Zuko's secret was loose and he had just lied to her again. His eyes grew large and he backed away a bit. Katara's tears stopped flowing, and anger started to seep into her soul. He was the other red spirit she had fought with. He was the one that she didn't want anything to do with.

"Katara… I can explain…"

"Don't bother Zuko. I hate you. Anyone who lies and betrays me isn't worthy of my time. I won't stand here and let you make a fool of me! I actually believed your story! _I'm on your side now… I've come to my senses_… You were lying right through your own teeth!"

"No I wasn't! I was telling you the truth!"

Zuko's anger was now enflamed as well. She had said that he wasn't worth her time! Who says that it didn't go the same for him?

"I am not going to believe another word you say! I can't believe I even helped you, cared for you_, nursed_ you back to health! I have so many other things to worry about!"

"Oh yeah? Who said you _had_ to take care of me anyways?"

Her temper had now reached its height and she yelled out in frustration. Zuko crossed his arms and she stepped right up to him. Their eyes were inches apart, and she tried to regulate her breathing.

"I am _through_ with wasting my time on you Zuko. Mark my words, you will _never_ hear from me again, and if I ever _do_ run into you again, I will not hesitate to fight you."

For a moment there was a still silence as the sorrowful memories of being in each other's arms replayed themselves in their thoughts. Zuko furrowed his eyebrows, but then his eyes suddenly became soft. In an instant she turned and ran out of the hut. The anger had left him; her mysterious eyes calmed him, and he realized what a stupid mistake he had made.

"Katara! Wait!"

But all that he saw was a small glimpse of blue cloth within the thick forest. He had to run after her; if he didn't, he might have never seen her again.

..:-:..

Katara ran with all her strength, and she was glad that she hadn't shown Zuko where her hut was. Her anger was still spreading its roots in her heart; it was worse than the time she had liked Jet. This time, she had shared her feelings with Zuko and he returned them. She didn't want to admit it, but deep down, all she wanted to do was pretend like she had never seen the mask, and go back into his warm embrace. But that was all in the past, and her reason for being in Tochigi had vanished temporarily while she got to know Zuko a bit better. After running for about fifteen minutes, she stopped in front of her hut. Her breaths were short and quick, but she fell down onto her bed and collapsed into tears. Slowly, her sobs faded and she no longer heard herself; instead she heard the dead silence of the forest. Katara stood up, and wiped her face. She was staring right at her own mask.

Her anger returned once again, fueled by the now hideous sight of the mask and all that it meant. Katara took it with fury, and violently threw it out into the forest.

"Goodbye forever and don't come back!"

She yelled and heard her distant echo. A flock of birds, disturbed by the noise, flew out of the canopy and into the sky. Just as she was going to head back into her humble home, a pair of golden eyes caught hers.

"Oh no… you did _not_ come follow me after I told you not to!"

Zuko could tell how angry she was and it made him feel even guiltier. He put his hands on his heart and didn't move.

"Katara let me explain."

"No! I don't need any explanations as to why you decided to _lie_ to me! And as I said before, the next time I saw you, I promised I would fight you, and that's what I'm going to do now! You don't deserve to _live_…"

"I don't want to fight you…"

He stopped talking as he dodged a blast of water. Zuko couldn't believe that she was doing this.

"Katara… I…"

He ducked as another blow flew above his head. As he neared her, Katara used the water in the pots in front of her hut to attack him.

"Don't say anything! I won't believe you. Isn't that what you wanted to do all along? Get me to trust you and then do whatever you wanted with me?"

"_No!_ That's not it at all!"

This time, Katara's aim was perfect, and she was expecting him to dodge her attack. Zuko flew backwards into a tree as his clothes became soaked. His fists flared and his eyes furrowed.

"You're so …_ frustrating_!"

He stood up and ran to her, punching the air and sending flames right at her. Katara dodged with ease, but it left him open to come within inches of her. As Katara raised her arms to pour water over him, he grabbed a hold of them and pinned her to the side of the hut.

"Listen to me! I'm sorry for not telling you… I didn't want to hurt you!"

His voice barked at her, and his apology didn't move Katara one bit. She leaned her head forward a bit and narrowed her eyes with disgust in them.

"You can't say anything Zuko. It's what you _didn't_ say before that hurts."

In the moment of her whisper, Zuko's guard weakened and before he knew it, Katara's hands gripped Zuko's arms and she twisted away from the hut. She left Zuko standing right next to it and then she saw a basin of water. Katara didn't think twice before she sent the water spiraling around him. His desperate cries of agony filled her ears as the water began to drown him. But she soon began to feel guilty and realized that if she were to keep it up, she could end up killing him. Katara had no intention of that, so she jabbed her arms into the air one last time, and the water flung Zuko right through the wall of the hut. The roof collapsed and fell in slightly. She scanned the pile of debris to see if there was any movement. When she saw that there was, Katara quickly began to run away towards the only other home she had.

..:-:..

As usual, the men of Tochigi had poured into the main tavern for the night. That night was special at the tavern; women were being brought along for a night of fun and entertainment. Katara didn't know why she followed the crowd inside, but she was so lost in her own thoughts, that she wasn't sure of what she was doing.

Once inside, the loud noise attracted her attention, and then she realized where she was. The men were already drinking and in the far corner, the smokers already had gray clouds above their heads. Katara turned around to head out, but a young man stepped up to her. He had a charming smile on his face and his hair was as long as Zuko's but it was actually groomed and taken care of so that it was sleek. Katara rolled her eyes; she didn't need to deal with another man that night.

"Excuse me, but you're in my way."

"Oh, I'm sorry, but see, I wanted to know if you'd like a drink? It's on me."

The man moved in closer and she leaned back, very reluctant to speak another word to him.

"No, thank you. I am on my way now, and I don't need another man to _treat _me tonight."

She stepped to the side, but he kept in front of her. His charming smile vanished and he became serious.

"Listen, I'm sorry about whatever might have happened. I just thought you looked troubled. Sometimes it's good to talk about things with someone. Let me get you a drink and you can tell me about what happened. That's all really. No games or tricks. I just want to help you out."

He looked serious and he sounded so sincere; Katara caved in.

"I don't know your name though…"

"Oh right! My name is Yukio."

"Okay Yukio, my name is Katara, and yes you may buy me a drink. Nothing funny though remember, or I can seriously knock you out."

He laughed suddenly and Katara liked looking at his perfect face, and his beautiful innocent smile. Yukio saw this and he smiled at her.

"I'll be right back Katara."

In a few minutes, he returned with two drinks of juice. She took one in her hand, and she interlocked the other in one of his arms.

"Right this way!"

Yukio led her to another part of the tavern that she didn't know about. It was in the back and there were separate rooms. He slid the furthest door open so that they were away from everyone else. Katara eyed him suspiciously but her qualms died out.

"It's really noisy in the main room; we can talk here in peace."

Katara stepped inside and took a seat across the table. Yukio closed the door and smiled to himself cynically. He put on a reassuring face for her and sat down. The room wasn't detailed too much with decoration, but there were pillows everywhere so that it was nice and comfy when they sat down.

"Where do I begin? Oh yes, that man! He was so repulsive! He _lied_ to me you know!"

Yukio took a sip of his drink and then pushed his hair out of his eyes, looking at Katara deeply. He nodded his head and sighed.

"Oh so he's one of _those_ guys? You feel sorry for him, and then you begin to trust him, and before you know it, you figure out what he's hiding. Am I correct?"

Katara's eyes widened.

"That's _exactly_ what happened to me!"

"Well it's true that a lot of guys out there just use women. I'm not surprised you were apprehensive of me when I first asked you if you wanted a drink."

Katara was impressed with his intelligence and he wasn't too bad looking either. She smiled and cocked her head to the side.

"I suppose that's true… but why did you really ask me?"

Yukio took another sip and smiled gently.

"I already told you; I wanted to see if I could be of any help at all. Why haven't you tasted your drink yet? It's delicious."

He took another sip of his, and then Katara slapped her forehead comically.

"Oh! I forgot about it! Let's see…"

She took a sip and Yukio eyed her curiously. Katara winced at first, but then shook her head and smiled.

"It's bitter, but then it leaves a wonderful taste on my tongue! What is it?"

"Just a blend of juices at the counter. It was the only thing that wasn't alcoholic. I hope you don't mind."

"Oh no! That's exactly what I didn't want! Thank you!"

She took another sip and grimaced but then nodded.

"Yes, this is one very… _very_ interesting drink!"

Yukio smiled as he saw her eyelids begin to droop.

"That's good. I'm glad you like it."

"You know what Yukio?" she asked after taking another sip, "you are _so_ different than him! I can trust you, but I should have _never_ trusted him! I was _so stupid_ to think he was telling the truth!"

"Well I don't blame you, I bet he was really smooth with his talk and everything like that."

Katara pointed across the table and widened her eyes.

"Yes! You're right again! Yukio, you know _everything!_" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Oh no, I'm not really _all_ that. Like I said, talking about things is usually helpful. Do you feel any better Katara?"

He looked at her as she drank the rest of the drink in her hand. As she slammed it down on the table, Yukio smirked.

"…I sure do … Yu…Yukio…"

She was swaying from side to side and her vision was beginning to become blurry. Suddenly, he vanished from her view.

"Yukio? Yukio! Where did you go?"

She yelled it a bit louder than she normally would, but then she felt someone sit down next to her. Katara turned her head abruptly and saw his familiar face staring right at her.

"There you are!"

Katara laughed and flung her arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug. Yukio smiled to himself and wrapped his arms around her. She started to pull away, but Yukio kept his grip around her. His smile faded and then he leaned his head towards her. She felt a chill run down her spine as she felt his hair brush her nose. Katara was staring right into his eyes but she couldn't see straight. Something was wrong.

"Katara… did you know you are beautiful?"

It was a soft whisper and she had to close her eyes to catch her breath. Her voice was caught in her throat and then she felt his arms pull her into his embrace. Suddenly, she felt his lips on her neck, and his hands groping around her back. Without opening her eyes, she felt her way along his arms towards his shoulders. When she got a hold of him, she started pushing him away.

"Yukio! What are you doing?"

But nothing was working. Somehow, she had no strength in her, and even though she pushed him away, he didn't budge. Katara felt a hand on her thigh and suddenly she was up against the wall. For a brief second, she didn't feel anything on her neck anymore, but then she opened her eyes and saw his face right in front of them.

"I'm going to kiss you. Do you have a _problem_ with that?"

Suddenly, she became afraid. Katara was powerless and Yukio was not a being a gentleman anymore. The breath was taken from her as he pressed his mouth against hers. She felt his tongue explore her mouth, as his hands started to work their way up from her torso. Inside, she was screaming, but no one heard. Once he pulled away Katara was able to breathe again. His face was distorted in her view, but she could hear his cruel laugh.

"You are just way too naïve."

Just as he was about to kiss her again, the door slid open violently. Yukio turned his head and then his disgusting smile vanished. Her commanding presence sent him scurrying to her feet. Katara felt relieved to be free of Yukio's grasp but she had no idea who had come into the room.

"Princess Azula, I believe I have proved myself worthy."

Katara gasped when she heard the name. This was worse than she could have ever imagined. She was getting weaker and weaker by the minute, and now Zuko's sister was in the room.

"You haven't proved yourself worthy at all."

Yukio lifted his head and his eyes grew large and worried.

"But I did what you asked me to do! I got the girl and she drank the wine!"

Katara couldn't believe it. For the second time that night she had been fooled. But then it occurred to her; Zuko didn't hurt her, he just lied. Yukio actually did it because he _meant_ to do her harm. Her thoughts scattered away as Azula's eerie voice spread across the small room. In the distance, she could hear the laughter and clinking of glasses.

"Did I ever tell you to molest her?"

"No… but…"

"I just said, get the girl and give her the drink. You disgust me."

Yukio was frightened of what she would do but he still had the nerve to ask her for his earnings.

"Do I still get paid?"

"Well, you did get her drunk enough. Fine. Here's half of what you _should_ have earned."

She threw the bag to him, and he took it greedily. Azula rolled her eyes and then crossed her arms.

"What are you waiting for? I have no need of you anymore. Get out."

Yukio bowed and shut the door after he exited. There was a deep silence and the haunting feeling that something horrible was going to happen came back to Katara. She had no idea where Azula was or what her next move was going to be. Suddenly she heard her voice in her ear, and Katara jumped.

"I'm _so sorry_ that you had to go through that horrible display of affection. Men disgust me, don't you agree?"

Katara didn't say anything and she held her breath. Azula grew impatient.

"Answer me!"

Suddenly Katara's vision went dark and her body collapsed into Azula's arms. The princess grimaced as she stood Katara up.

"Ugh, this is disgusting. I have to _touch_ her. Guards!"

Two fire nation guards came into the room and stood ready to obey their princess.

"You will carry this peasant as we head back to the palace."

They nodded and took Katara into their arms. Azula found the secret door and the entourage headed out into the alleyway. After they marched out towards the outskirts of town, Azula spotted an old woman in the alleyway. Miaka threw out her garbage, but then she spotted three people carrying a woman in blue. To her horror it was Katara, but then she saw two golden eyes looking at her narrowly. As the guards passed by, Azula stopped in front of Miaka.

"Old woman, what are you doing out this late?"

"I was just throwing out my garbage."

"Do you know who I am?"

Miaka kept her cool and acted as if nothing had happened. She bowed graciously and then looked up.

"You are Princess Azula of the Fire Nation."

She looked content but then spoke seriously.

"Good, then you know not to speak of what you just saw?"

"I don't even know what you are speaking of_, my Princess_."

Azula chuckled to herself and shook the old lady's hand.

"It looks like you know where your loyalties lie. I like that in a person. Have a _nice_ night."

Miaka watched as Azula disappeared and then she entered her house slowly. Once inside, she walked hurriedly out the front door, desperate to find someone who could help her.

..:-:..

Zuko, after looking for over an hour in the forest, decided to risk going into town to look for her. Within that time of searching, Zuko realized just how ridiculous he had been. She was right, if he had told her from the beginning, then he wouldn't be in this situation. But he needed her now more than ever; he was just too ashamed to ask anyone for help. Suddenly, as he entered the main street of Tochigi, a familiar old lady started to hobble towards him. Zuko eyed her curiously, though he couldn't see her clearly in the dark.

"Young sir! You need to help me!"

He bowed and then straightened himself out.

"I am in your debt. You cared for me a couple of days ago. What is it that you need me to do?"

Miaka thanked Agni for this man services.

"I know it is very dangerous, but you must help! I have just had an encounter with Princess Azula. She and two guards were taking one of my apprentices away. She looked like something horrible was done to her."

Zuko listened intently and began to worry.

"Could you tell me the name of this apprentice?"

"I'm not so sure… she'd be awfully angry with me…"

"But it could help me to know. I won't tell anyone that she is here in Tochigi."

"All right… her name is… Katara."

Zuko stumbled back a few steps and he shook his head. Miaka looked at him strangely.

"Dear, are you all right?"

"No… this can't be true… tell me Agni it isn't true…"

His sister had Katara and he had no idea where she was. Then all of a sudden, he regained his strength and stood firmly rooted to the ground.

"Do you know where they went?"

"I'm not sure… but I know of this secret fire nation palace on the southern side of Tochigi. It's in hidden by a trail in the forest and it leads to a shortcut through the mountains. The palace isn't very far at all, but no one knows about it except myself and now you."

Zuko's fists flared and his breathing deepened. Miaka's eyes widened as she saw the fire erupt from out of nowhere.

"I'll get her back."

And with that he was gone.

..:-:..

Katara woke up with a splitting headache. Her vision was back to normal, and suddenly she gasped. She was in a steel room with fire nation insignia drapery on the walls. In front of her, Azula was smirking. It was then that Katara realized that she was chained to two pillars.

"What do you want with me Azula?"

"Oh how _feisty_ you are once you sober up a bit!"

Katara stared at her with hatred. Azula found it amusing.

"Do you think there is any hope for you little wench?"

"Don't call me that!"

Azula walked up to her and put a finger on Katara's chin. She jerked her head away and then stared at the princess.

"I really don't know what my brother saw in you. You look pathetic to me. No beauty whatsoever. But then again, it's not like he's anywhere near close to looking as good as me… with that hideous scar and all!"

For some reason, Katara wanted to defend Zuko. Maybe it was because no one deserved to be ridiculed by Azula, or maybe it was because those emotions deep down inside told her that maybe Zuko hadn't purposefully kept his double identity a secret from her. Then it clicked: he had been protecting her from getting hurt. She now understood what he meant. If she knew about it, then she would have acted differently around him when she fought with him. But that meant… that he knew she was the Red Spirit too.

"Why so quiet all of a sudden? Thinking about your long lost love?"

"Shut it Azula!"

Her eyes glowed and her mouth dropped open.

"_What did you just say? _Maybe you'd like a scar to match Zuko's?"

Katara suddenly regretted opening her mouth, but decided on a new tactic.

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I am unworthy of speaking in your presence."

The fireball in Azula's hand died out and then Azula cocked an eyebrow.

"Interesting… but since we started talking about the topic, why not continue. How about telling me where my dear brother is?"

"No. I can't do that. I'm sorry."

Azula's temper was triggered.

"_Fine._ I guess we'll have to do this the hard way."

She took a bamboo stick from a table in the corner and then with one swift blow, hit Katara against her spine. She yelled out in pain as her back started to throb. The chains rattled violently as Katara's body swayed.

"What about now? Feel like saying anything?"

Tears fell down Katara's face.

"I don't know where he is…"

Azula sighed nonchalantly.

"I suppose you like beatings?"

Katara tried to suppress her pain but a muffled cry came out of her throat anyways. After the second time Azula hit Katara, she walked in front of her prisoner and pouted.

"Tell me. Do you _actually_ care about him so much, that you are willing to suffer to keep him safe?"

At that moment, the statement made Katara doubt whether or not she had a point. She remembered the time when he had the Azure Jewel and he had used it to strip her of her bending. But then she also remembered how he had destroyed it. Her thoughts wandered through memories of the past week and one stood out among all the rest. After Zuko had saved her from falling over the cliff during the storm, he had cradled her and spoken his true feelings. She still heard his authentically worried voice in her head. _"Katara… I don't know what I would have done if I didn't see you in all of that darkness…" _

"Yes Azula, I would."

"All right then. Here we go again!"

Azula's footsteps echoed in her ears. Katara bit her tongue and closed her eyes as she felt another blow on her back. Suddenly, she felt light and the room started to spin. Azula growled with frustration as Katara's knees fell to the ground, and her head hung loosely. She had blacked out once again. The guards came in and took her from the two pillars. Once they arrived at the cells, Azula ordered them to just throw her like a doll. One of the guards was more humane and he gently put Katara down on the bed. Azula saw this and slammed the door.

"I told you to throw her in there!"

"I'm sorry your grace…"

"You should be! You just ruined all that fun I had! Get away from my view before I change my mind and start having _fun_ with you!"

The two guards darted away as Azula huffed to herself. She walked away and decided to go for a nighttime stroll in front of the palace. The stars were dotting the sky and she laughed to herself.

"Useless, just useless. Unless it's a comet, it's useless…"

"Like you Azula?"

She spun around and saw her brother standing there, ready to fight.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Okay, so this chapter is sorta graphic… just to warn ya! Hope you like it!

* * *

**Chapter 10**

"My dear brother, I haven't seen you in a long, long time… what brings you here?"

He heard her pitiful tone when she asked him that and his hands flared up. Zuko narrowed his eyes while Azula stood there with her arms crossed, a smirk spreading across her face.

"Where is she? I saw you with her! _Where_ did you take her?" he yelled.

His jaw clenched and his flames roared furiously. Azula just laughed and took a step forward, her hand facing her brother with two fingers pointed at his chest. The firelight shined on the palace with a dangerous glow.

"Who? That wench? You don't need to know that… besides… you'll have the same fate as her once I'm done with you here…"

She laughed and then sent a blue spark of lightening at him. Zuko jumped out of the way, sending a surging flame straight at her. Azula pushed her own blue flames toward the attack, but to her surprise, she only got rid of half of it. The rest of the flame came at her with a defining force she wasn't expecting. Azula lost her footing as she fell to the ground. Zuko walked up to her with one arm pulled back, and the other ready to strike her down with another attack. He gritted his teeth and squinted at her, his anger for his sister finally surfacing to its fullest. Azula tried to look innocent and she propped herself up with her hands.

"I asked you a question! _Where is she?"_

Azula closed her eyes for a second, already starting her plan to capture Zuko. She opened her eyes and her smirk disappeared.

"I don't know what the guards did with her… I have no idea Zuko… I'm sorry… it seems like she means _a lot_ to you…"

Zuko pushed his hidden arm forward, sending a burst of flames just above her head.

"Don't even try it Azula! I know you're lying… you _always_ lie! Tell me where she is!"

His face portrayed the deepest hate, but Azula sighed and shook her head.

"Fine, I guess you've got me cornered. She's in the southern group of cells."

Zuko's eyes softened the slightest bit, and then he stepped aside, his arms falling from the fighting stance. Just as he was about to run towards the palace, Azula quickly sent an arrow of lightening at the ground where Zuko was about to step. As he put his foot down, the shock went through his body and he jumped, turning around to face his sister.

"You seem a bit _jumpy_ brother. What's wrong?"

Her smirk was back and the fighting began again. She pulled her arms up over her head and then quickly brought them down in a swift circle. Flames spread around Zuko and then he breathed in sharply, trying to get the fire back towards Azula. But she was faster and she ran past him. Her blue fire hit his shoulder, causing him to fall painfully down into the ring of fire. The heat was greater than Zuko could take and then he felt a sharp jab in his ribs. Zuko cried out in pain and his eyes opened slightly to see her face above his.

"See, I told you that you would lose. And yes Zuko, I _do_ always lie."

His eyes blinked a few times and then he was swept into a deep brooding pitch black.

..:-:..

In another pit of darkness, Katara fluttered her eyes open and immediately took a swift intake of breath. The pain along her back and the rest of her body was immense and almost unbearable. Azula knew how to make people suffer; Katara could vouch for that. With a considerable struggle, she managed to push herself into a sitting position and each time she moved a muscle, she winced painfully. Her strength was decreasing rapidly, but as her eyes started to adjust to the darkness, she realized her vision was back. The rest must have proven useful in getting rid of the intoxication. Mentally, Katara noted that she would never drink wine again.

She was breathing heavily, and her body was telling her that she needed water. Her hands patted the straw that was around her, and thankfully she found a cup not too far from where she was sitting propped up against the wall. But as she put the cup to her dry lips, she didn't feel any cool drops of water come out from it.

"Of course there wouldn't be any water in my cell! Azula wouldn't give _me_ water…"

Katara put the cup down, still trying not to move her back at all. She sat still in the dark cell, and then closed her eyes, controlling her breath as she did so. Suddenly, she heard the soft rush of flowing water and her eyes jerked open. Her arms were weak, but she managed to pull them up. She brought her arms towards her in a sweeping motion, figuring that the water could come to her from the tiny window that let the moon shine into the cell. After a few minutes, she was about to give up, but finally she felt the string of water at her fingertips. A smile managed to spread across her face as she poured the water into the cup. With the remaining water, she tried to heal herself. Katara had to bite her bottom lip as she moved her back from the wall. Her hand reached slowly towards her back, and then she let the cool liquid run down her back. Her eyes closed as she felt her back erected itself as the glow in the cell subsided. Finally, she took a sip of water and exhaled, relieved to be free of pain.

Suddenly, Katara heard guards coming down the corridor and she stiffened. She immediately slouched down and laid herself out over the cup of water so that it looked like she was still unconscious. The footsteps became louder and then she heard a familiar, displeasing voice.

"Take the prisoner to the main interrogation room. You! Open this cell up!"

Katara tried her best to lay there unmoving, and then the door creaked open. Azula stepped in a bit, and lit up the cell with her blue fire. She saw Katara lying there motionless and she smirked. Her entire back was covered in a deep dark color, and to Azula, it looked like one large bloodstain. Satisfied, she turned and then shut the door. Katara jumped as she did it, and then she sighed, relieved that Azula wasn't so concerned about her anymore. The echoes of the footsteps receded and Katara sat up again.

"Who could the prisoner be? Another person… or could it be…"

Her eyes widened and realized it must have been Zuko she captured. Katara closed her eyes, hoping that Zuko wouldn't have to go through the same treatment as she had undergone before. At that moment, Katara yawned and knew she had to get some more rest. Her hands moved around through the straw as she looked for a better place to be asleep. Suddenly she cried out a bit as her hand touched something that had slick jagged edges. She picked it up more carefully, and put it up to the little moonlight that was in the cell. Her eyes enlarged as she realized that it was a green jewel, an emerald to be exact. From the glint and sleek cutting of the stone, Katara could only come to one conclusion.

She had found the Jade Jewel.

Her heartbeat slowed down once she came to terms with the new discovery. Someone must have hidden it in the cell, a previous prisoner no doubt. Why would Azula or anyone look for a jewel in a prison cell? It was the perfect hiding spot, so Katara put it back in its corner, and finally let herself fall asleep. The distant cries of pain weren't audible to her ears, but to Azula it was like a lullaby.

..:-:..

"Come on Zuko… all you have to do is just tell me what you know about the avatar… it's simple, really…"

He breathed heavily and glared at his sister. The two pillars where Katara had been held in between were now holding Zuko prisoner as well. Azula wasn't getting too far with the interrogation, and her failure wasn't pleasing her at all.

"I told you before… I have no idea where the avatar is! I stopped chasing him a long time ago…"

She smirked as she saw the distant sadness in his golden eyes.

"Oh that's right… wasn't it just after uncle died? What a shame… what a _shame_…"

Zuko growled and pulled on the rustling chains as he leaned forward, trying to reach his sister.

"Shut up! You aren't even worthy enough to speak about him!"

He cried out as she whipped him with a blazing hot metal bar. It was flexible, and left a bright crimson color across his neck. At that moment Azula stepped up to him, his head hanging limp. His vision was coming in and out of unconsciousness, and suddenly he felt Azula's fingers on his newest burn.

"Too bad your wench isn't here to help you… but of course, I don't see how she could possibly do that after what I did to her…"

He gave her one last glare, and then his knees fell to the ground. Azula shook her head and grumbled.

"They are so similar, those two… ha, what a _perfect_ match; the weak, and the weaker."

..:-:..

Katara stirred and her surroundings came flooding back to her eyes. She was still in the dark cell and then she felt some straw in her mouth. Her hands went up to it automatically and she stuck her tongue out in disgust. But that wasn't her biggest concern, because she heard distant footsteps echoing down the steel hallway. The sound grew louder and Katara's heartbeat quickened. She scrambled to get back into her sleeping position, but then the footsteps stopped right in front of her door. Katara shut her eyes close, hoping that nothing would happen, and the footsteps would continue down the hall.

"I can't take this anymore! Just stuff him in this cell, I don't care if there's a special one for him down further in the other wings!"

Her eyes jerked open and her mouth dropped open. Without making the slightest noise, Katara stood up and walked to the wall with the door. She remembered which way it opened, so she stood in a position so that if it did open, no one would see her.

"Princess, are you sure about this cell?"

She turned on the guard viciously, dark circles under her eyes. They narrowed, and she put two fingers to where his heart was.

"Are you deaf? I said this cell! Do it now!"

"Yes, I'm sorry your grace."

The guard looked at the other nervously and he unlocked the door. It creaked open and Katara's heart went wild as she saw a body hit the floor with a loud thump. She stood motionless as the door slammed shut.

"Finally! I can go get some decent rest! What a wasted night! Well maybe it wasn't all that bad…"

Katara didn't move until she made sure she couldn't hear the footsteps anymore. When that happened, she breathed in and sighed deeply. She was wide awake, so she decided to see who the mystery person was. The moonlight that came through the window made the trails of blood glisten on his back. Katara gasped and put her hands to her mouth as she looked up from the gruesome back to his neck, to his scarred face. She shook her head disbelievingly and knelt by his side immediately.

"Zuko? No… Zuko, it can't be you…"

Her fingers ran through his wet hair, down his neck, and then she stopped moving when she felt the cool thick liquid. Tears swept from her eyes and fell onto his bare back, as she stared at his wrecked body in disbelief.

"I'm so sorry Zuko…" she whispered, "… I'm so sorry…"

She bowed her head down to his face and gave him a kiss on his cheek. Her hand rested on his neck, and then she recoiled it, a burning sensation traveling up through her fingertips, all the way up to her shoulder. Zuko's face cringed and he cried out painfully. As she looked closer, Katara saw the bright line, which came down from his neck to his collarbone. She had no idea that he was hurt so extensively. His face still bore the marks of pain and suffering, suddenly causing Katara to find strength in herself. She had healed her back, and she was even more determined to heal Zuko.

Closing her eyes, she concentrated and listened for the source of water she had used before. Her arms reached forwards and her fingertips trembled slightly as she began to feel the water. Time after time, she swept her arms towards the cell, and finally she saw water come through the tiny window, just like the time before. A smile creased her lips but it subdued itself as she put her hand on Zuko's neck. He moaned, his whole body in pain. A bright blue glow surrounded his neck and her hand, until finally it vanished, cooling the heat, and healing his burn. She then turned her attention to his back and washed it of the dark red blood. With one more breath, she put her hands at the top of his neck, slowly gliding them down to his lower back. When the glow went away, Katara let her arms fall to her sides. It had taken most of her energy to heal his back, but she was overjoyed to know she had healed him, his pain vanishing each minute that she was by his side.

After a few minutes had passed, and Katara's breathing had calmed down to a peaceful pace, she saw Zuko's body stirring. His eyes opened slowly, trying to readjust to the dark cell. He saw a figure sitting next to him, and then he pushed himself up off the ground, so that he was sitting beside her. Katara's eyesight became blurry as she sprang onto him, her arms flinging around his strong neck. For a moment he had no idea who she was, but then as he put his arms around her waist, he realized he was holding onto Katara.

"Zuko… I thought I wouldn't see you again!"

He buried his head into her shoulder, holding onto her tightly.

"Katara, I'm sorry, please forgive me…"

She pulled away from him slightly and then pulled his head towards hers. The two kissed each other as if the world was going to end that night. None of them wanted to lose the other again; it had happened once and the consequences were horrifying. Katara pulled away from him and stared into his eyes softly, the moonlight creating dark shadows on his face. She ran her hands through his hair as he put a hand to her cheek.

"Zuko, don't say that, I'm sorry for not listening to you… I got us into this trouble, and you must have gone through a much worse meeting with Azula than I did…"

It was then that he realized he wasn't in any more pain.

"Wait… did you heal me?"

"Of course I did! I had to…"

"No you didn't…"

Zuko pulled her into him and she rested her head on his chest. He caressed her back and then his fingers ran over her tattered clothes.

"Katara… what did she do to you?"

He sat up straight and she wriggled out of his embrace, sitting against the wall next to him.

"It's nothing, really… I'm fine…"

Zuko slammed the ground with his fist and growled angrily.

"I'm going to kill her! I swear I will kill her for torturing you!"

Katara's eyes widened as she saw his fists flame up. The fire caught on the straw and she quickly doused it with a swift movement of her hand. Zuko was still ranting and he was doing so loudly. She pulled him to her quickly, covering his mouth with hers. His inner hate cooled down and Katara lifted her head gently so that he was staring right into her eyes.

"You can't be so loud… she doesn't know that she put you in the same cell as me…"

Her whisper gave Zuko a crawling sensation up his back and made him more alert. He loved staring into her eyes; it melted his fueling rage and calmed his spirit.

"I'm still going to kill her though…"

She smiled warmly and then a smile mirrored hers as Zuko's lips managed to twist into a smile of his own. Katara jumped up all of a sudden, and he watched her scrounging around for something in the corner of the cell.

"What are you looking for?"

"You won't believe what I found… here it is!"

She walked back to him slowly, cupping something in her hands. As she sat down next to him again, he saw a soft green glint on a gem that Katara was holding.

"Do you know what this is?"

He took it into his hands and put it up close to his face. It was crafted with amazing accuracy and precision, its edges sharp, but sleek. His eyes widened when he uncovered what it was he was holding.

"Is this the Jade Jewel?" he asked reluctantly.

"Yes Zuko… it's the emerald that keeps earthbenders from contacting their element in any way that is related to bending."

There was a spine-chilling silence as the two of them just stared at the jewel. The power they held in their hands was incredible, and horrible at the same time. Finally Katara spoke in a hushed voice.

"I think someone was taken prisoner, and they knew he had it. Once he was in here, he hid it, and most likely they…"

She didn't need to finish the sentence; Zuko knew what his nation was capable of. Zuko put the emerald on the ground and stood up. Katara looked up at him curiously and cocked her eyebrow.

"Zuko, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to destroy it."

He put his arms out to his sides, breathed in deeply and then swung his leg. His foot slammed down on it, a fiery trail making an arc in the cell. Zuko felt the jewel under his foot, but when he stepped back Katara's eyes widened. Her fingers took the emerald gently, and she looked at it in amazement.

"It doesn't even have a scratch on it…"

He sat back down and observed it along with her. Indeed nothing had happened and Zuko was confused beyond his wits.

"I don't understand why it didn't break."

"Let me try…"

Katara found the cup of water she put to the side and then made the water slither and she encompassed it around the Jade Jewel. Once it was frozen, she took a step back, and threw it against the wall with all of her might. The impact was enormous, leaving shards of ice splattered against the wall. Both Zuko and Katara looked through the straw to find the pieces of the green stone, but Zuko found it whole and still without a mark on it.

"Your fire bending and my water bending didn't work. What are we going to do?"

Zuko put the jewel into the corner and sighed, shaking his head.

"Zuko? Why did you put it back?"

He turned to her and looked at her incrediously.

"Don't you see? Fire broke the Azure Jewel. Fire is the opposite of water. What is the opposite of earth?"

Katara looked to the side as she began to understand what Zuko was telling her.

"The opposite of earth is air. But the only airbender left is…"

"The Avatar."

At once Katara looked up at Zuko who was looking off with a somber expression through the small window. She glared at him and put a hand to her forehead.

"Zuko, how many times do I have to tell you his name is Aang?"

He was brought back from his thoughts and shook his head.

"Oh… right."

She rolled her eyes and went to go sit back down against the wall. Katara cradled her knees up to her chest and put her head on top of them. Zuko sat down next to her; he needed to be close to her, he didn't want to waste any more time without her. So he stroked her hair and she leaned in to him as he put an arm around her.

"Sometimes I worry about him. I know Aang has already mastered three of the four elements, but I just can't help to think that someone out there could have him locked up."

He shushed her and she closed her eyes.

"…Aang is fine… he's the Avatar, Katara. Would he want you to worry about him?"

She lifted her head up to see Zuko's shadowy face looking down at her gently. At that moment she felt so reassured and comforted by the fact that she was with him. For some reason, Katara knew deep down inside that she felt something deeper than just a liking for him. Over the days she had spent with him, and now remembering what he had done to protect her, she realized how different he was from the time she had first met him.

"You're right… but what about the Red Spirits? Are _they _all right?"

Zuko's smile turned horizontal and he closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm bringing it up, but I have one question for you to answer."

He opened up his eyes and looked at her deeply.

"Did you do anything of a criminal nature while you were the Red Spirit?"

Zuko was relieved and shook his head.

"No I didn't. I even gave back one time. You know, take riches from the rich and give back to the poor."

Katara smiled, knowing he was telling her the truth.

"So that's why people were thanking me that one time…"

Zuko leaned his head down and kissed her sweetly. Katara's heart melted at his touch and she wrapped her arms around his torso. She felt at ease in his embrace and then she sighed. Suddenly she remembered her horrible experience with the model show all the way at the beginning of last week.

"Zuko, did you do any other acts of kindness? Like, oh I don't know, did you help a girl escape a mob of lust hungry men?"

The hair on his arms stood up straight as he remembered that one night when he had helped the most beautiful girl escape that mob. He felt guilty for thinking that way, but she was extraordinarily beautiful.

"Why do you ask?"

She was somewhat disappointed it wasn't him.

"Oh, well this one time I did a stupid thing and entered a woman parade to get some money and a stranger saved me."

Zuko's eyes widened and his heartbeat accelerated.

"That was _you_?" he asked in shock.

"So was it you that saved me or no?"

"Katara… you… _her_… beautiful…"

He was just in so much shock that the woman was the same as the one and only Katara. She smirked in the dark and leaned up to him.

"What was that you were saying?"

Zuko was flushed but she couldn't see it.

"I… I mean, yes."

"What about that other part?"

"Oh… nothing… just that… _you'rebeautiful_…"

"Excuse me? You didn't say that clearly."

Zuko was getting frustrated and he sort of pushed her away.

"I think you are beautiful all right? Will you get off my case now?"

She smiled and kissed the corner of his mouth. His anger subsided as he heard her soft chuckle. Katara yawned and wrapped her arms around his middle, settling her head on his chest comfortably. Zuko yawned after hearing her, and he leaned back, trying to find a relaxed angle to go to sleep in. The woman in his arms closed her eyes and thought to herself. She couldn't have been happier than she was at that moment. Everything seemed to be all right, even though she was a prisoner of the fire nation, and that was because she had Zuko right next to her. He stroked her hair and she adored him showing her some affection. Zuko knew that he would never find anyone like her again. His mouth opened slightly and he mumbled through a yawn.

"Katara… can I … tell you… something?"

"…yeah?…"

"I…I…"

His mouth closed and his head fell on top of hers. Both of them fell asleep inside the dark cell, holding on to each other, taking in the other's presence. The scene seemed like it was from a fairy tale, the prince and his princess, sleeping together happily.

..:-:..

Dawn came only a couple of hours after they fell asleep. The dark cell was that no longer; instead, a faint glimmer of sunlight came into the prison hold. Both of the courageous fighters were still asleep, their chests rising and falling simultaneously. In the distance, only a few people were moving throughout the secret hidden palace. An ominous figure nodded to a pair of guards and they left the room. In no time, they made it to the prisoner's cell and opened it without making any noise. The two guards saw the pair sleeping together and for a moment they wondered if what they were doing was the right thing. One guard made the first move and lifted Zuko's arm gently. The other picked the sleeping girl into his arms. They left the scarred exiled prince where he laid. The door closed silently, and the two guards left the cells. Katara didn't even stir, her entire body was still in need of rest and so she slept on, dreaming of colorful fields and water falls.

..:-:..

Later on that morning, Zuko stirred as he heard the birds chirping in the distance. For some reason, he didn't feel Katara's warmth next to his body, so he slowly opened his eyes, expecting to see her in the corner. Once his vision became clear, his body went numb.

She wasn't there.

* * *

**A/N:** Yay! You read to the end of this chapter! Thanks so much for reading! Could you tell me what you though of it? I'd be_ eternally_ grateful:D

And to show my appreciation, here's a hint for the next chapter!

**NEXT:** Katara finds out a secret about her past that crushes her.

Oh, and I'm so not telling you anything else! So don't try to squeeze it out of me! Lol xD You'll just have to wait! Until then, have a wonderful day!

-Monika-


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Thank you again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! So here it is… the big secret and real meaning to Katara's past. This chapter will be graphic at times and I'm just letting you know now lol I intended this to be a "darker" fic from the beginning but I think that this chapter tops all of it…

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Flames erupted from his hands and he yelled out furiously. When he stood up, Zuko stumbled back towards the wall. His hands and feet were chained to the cell and he couldn't move. Zuko growled viciously, trying to free himself of the cursed metal that was binding him to one spot. After a while he stopped trying and sat back against the wall. His fist slammed into the floor and then he put his head into his hands. How could this have happened? He should have woken up and protected Katara, but now she was gone, and he had no idea where to.

Once he calmed down a bit, he opened his eyes and looked up to the tiny window. Sunlight streamed itself into the cell and it left striped shadows on the floor. His life was messed up, but one thing he was sure of. He needed Katara more than anything else, and he was going to get her back.

"I'll find you Katara… somehow I'll find you…"

..:-:..

Katara didn't open her eyes, but she felt the overwhelming comfort she was surrounded by. Soft, thick blankets were on top of her, and pillows were piled on either side of her head. It was so warm and she felt like she was dreaming. Suddenly she jerked her eyes open. Since when was there a bed in her cell? As she sat up, her breath quickened and her eyes bulged. Her thoughts went wild as she took in everything around her. Katara was laid out in a poster bed as tall as the room itself. Inside, candles topped small bedside tables, and they flickered gently, their orange glow blinding her eyesight. It was dark in the room; there were no windows. Instead, each wall was draped in dark red banners and then straight in front of her eyes, was the Fire Nation insignia. Her back fell onto the pillows with a thud and she shut her eyes. It was a dream; when she opened her eyes, she would see Zuko's soft face and welcoming eyes.

But it wasn't a dream, and when she did open her eyes, Zuko was nowhere to be found. She was still in the room. An eerie silence accompanied her breaths and then she saw a cup of water. She pushed the covers away, but then another surprise greeted her. At the end of the bed, she saw chains connecting to her feet. It took a moment for her to take the shock in, but then she remembered the cup of water and smiled. In the time it took to tie a pair of shoelaces, she froze the chain and broke free from it.

She saw the door and ran for it.

"Now to get out of here."

Katara's hand reached for the door handle, but just before she did, the door swung open slowly and she drew back, complete horror on her face. The shadowy figure stepped into the room and a stream of fire melted the door handle. Katara kept backing away, her mouth open and she became speechless. Her heart was beating so fast that she felt it thumping inside of her chest. The figure loomed closer towards her, as she kept moving back, all the way until she reached the wall. Her arms spread across it and she shrank down to the ground. He walked up to her and grabbed her upwards by her wrists. She cried painfully at his aggressiveness and winced, keeping her eyes shut. He laughed viciously and a cruel smirk spread across his face.

"Good morning my dear Katara. It's so nice of you to drop by."

She opened her eyes as she was flung onto the bed. Katara scrambled under the covers and whimpered.

"Please don't hurt me."

The two of them were alone, in that damned blood red room. She still couldn't believe her awful luck. Out of everyone it could have been, it just had to be Fire Lord Ozai that was staring her down.

..:-:..

The time was passing by so slowly for Zuko. Every second seemed like an eternity and it pained him to not know where Katara was, or what was happening with her. Finally, he heard footsteps coming down the corridor and perhaps he would get some answers.

Azula had woken up in a good mood that morning. She had two caught two prisoners, and most likely she would catch the Avatar next. After eating her breakfast, she ordered a pair of guards to accompany her on the way down to the cells. There was a certain person she wanted to see.

Her footsteps echoed around her and as she neared the cell, a smirk appeared on her face. The door opened silently; the creaking noise was taken care of and then she stepped inside. Zuko looked up at her with pure hatred and disgust. He stood up with a fiery temper and his fists already engulfed in flames.

"What did you do to her?"

Zuko gritted his teeth but Azula stepped back, her smirk vanishing, and shock spreading throughout her body.

"Are you asking _me_ where she is? How dumb do you think I am? She's escaped and you are trying to fool me! Well it's not going to work brother! _Where did she go?_ That's what I ask you! Now answer me!"

Her anger came out in her commanding voice and he stepped back towards the wall, his arms falling to his sides. His anger subsided and he stared off distantly.

"She's gone… Azula doesn't know where… she… is…"

And he knew it was true, because if she did know, she would be rubbing it in his face. Instead she thought that she escaped. But then if Katara wasn't with him, and Azula had no idea where she was… did that mean she escaped and left him here? No, Katara would never do that to him…

"Get up Zuko! If you're not going to cooperate, I'll just have to make you tell me!"

He shot her a hot stare and gritted his teeth.

"You mean like last time?"

It was then that Azula saw that he bore no marking of being abused. Her eyes widened and she pointed her arm at him.

"But how is that possible? I tortured and burned you but there are no traces…"

Suddenly her eyes narrowed and she growled.

"That wench! She healed you and she must have healed herself! But I made sure there was no water in this cell!"

Zuko managed to chuckle and smirk.

"She doesn't need the water to be right next to her. This window was all she needed to get all the water she wanted!"

Her frustration was brimming on the edge of her boiling point and she turned around, sending hot blue flames at the guards.

"What is wrong with you? Did you not see any water come in here? Were you imbeciles even _awake_?"

All the two guards could do were bow their heads and apologize.

"We are sorry your highness. It won't happen again!"

"Excuses and apologies aren't going to cut it! There have been too many mistakes and I won't allow it! But for now…"

She turned towards Zuko and shook her head in disgust.

"You are going to wish you were _never_ born."

Azula struck him on both shoulders, sending him against the wall. His head hit the wall as his body fell to the ground. Zuko's smirk dissolved and his world went into complete darkness.

"Take him out of here, and into the smallest, darkest room possible. No windows, no way out! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes your highness."

They took his body out of the chains and she sighed in frustration.

"I need to find out what happened to that wench. She will pay dearly for crossing me right in front of my eyes!"

..:-:..

Katara pushed herself as far back as possible in the bed. The distance between where she was situated and where Ozai was standing wasn't that close, but it still sent her into a nervous fit. Inside she didn't know what to do, or what to say. Never in her mind did she think she was going to come face to face with him this soon. But then the question came to mind, why did he want her? Shouldn't he have been chasing Aang instead?

"Oh don't worry Katara, I'm not going to _hurt_ you."

His malicious tone sent chills up her spine and the hairs on her entire body were on their ends. She closed her eyes and gulped, finding her shaky voice within her throat.

"What- do- you- want- with- me?"

"Please Katara, don't be afraid of me. I am your friend."

His long black hair and solid gold crown gave her an unsettling feeling and it fell down into the depths of her abdomen.

"You… you are _not _my friend!"

Somehow she was able to find her strength, even though his dominating figure stood at the foot of her bed. He laughed slightly and a fire suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the fireplace she had not noticed before.

"Of course I am Katara. You and someone else I might add."

"I am not your friend, and I don't know what you're talking about! You ordered the deaths of so many lives, including my mother… _how_ could you possibly be my friend?"

He stood where he was and took off his top to reveal a perfectly muscled chest. Her eyes bulged as she observed his strength and realized she shouldn't be speaking out against him.

"Oh yes… _your mother_… that's exactly who I was talking about."

Katara was confused and squinted her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Your mother, I was her friend too."

She froze stiff with terror.

"You… _knew_ her… but how? You couldn't have!"

"On the contrary, I _did._ That night when my soldiers invaded your humble little village, I saw her and _knew_ that she would serve the fire nation without hesitation."

A burning hatred started to build up in her chest and she gritted her teeth.

"What are you talking about? Stop avoiding the subject! She died then and there! I saw it with my own eyes!"

The memories piled in her mind. Screaming filled her ears and fire blazed everywhere. She saw her mother's fading blue figure and then a loud cry.

"No, she did not die then."

Katara's mouth dropped open and she became speechless once again.

"Shocked? I understand. But see, at first she wasn't willing to cooperate with my requests, so I had to _break_ her, somewhat like a wild animal in fact."

He laughed hysterically, remembering that one exciting night back so many years ago.

"Her gentle face and fierce blue eyes really drew me in from the beginning. I just knew that she had to be my… _friend._"

A terrifying realization hit Katara and she shook her head slowly, not wanting to accept the new knowledge.

"No… no… you didn't… she couldn't have…"

"_Yes_," Ozai sneered, "she was wonderful really. After that one night however, she became weak and caught a cold on the ship. Such a shame… we could have had many fun nights like that one…"

Anger overcame her and Katara exploded.

"_Bastard!_ You treated my mother like she was a plaything! I am going to kill you!"

She shot up and out of the bed, ready to do anything to harm him. Suddenly an immense amount of fire exploded out of nowhere and then rested in his palm. Katara stopped in front of him, a vase in her hands.

"Ah ah ah! Now you wouldn't want to have a pretty scar like my son, would you?"

Katara put the vase down slowly and thoughts of Zuko passed her mind. She had been taken away and she wasn't even able to tell him good-bye or anything. How could this have happened? A tear slid down her cheek and she looked away, her spirit crushed. To everyone out in the world, she was lost in this room, with no way out. She still had no idea what happened to Aang, or even Sokka. Inside, she knew that Sokka would rip Ozai apart after learning what he did to their mother.

"What's this? A tear after mentioning my good for nothing excuse of a son?"

Katara looked up at him fiercely, brushing away her tear.

"You aren't worthy of being his father!"

"What? You must be kidding. I am the Fire Lord, and soon to be ruler of the world! He doesn't deserve to have my blood in his body."

Silence hovered the room after this comment and Katara stood rooted to her spot in front of him. Where was she to go? No one knew where she was. Finally, she was ready to hear the answer to her most burning question.

"What do you want me from me Ozai?" she asked stiffly.

He reached for her arm, and caressed it roughly. Katara winced but didn't budge.

"I already told you. We are _friends._"

She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply as he pulled her into his overshadowing body. Disgust flowed through her veins as she felt his dry lips on her neck. Concentrating on the task at hand, she somehow managed to relax in his embrace. She wrapped her arms around his upper back and she put her mouth on his neck. Ozai chuckled at the touch of her lips.

"See, there's nothing to be worried about… we're_ good_ friends. You are even better than your mother."

Katara took a deep breath of air through her nose and then with all of her might she kicked her knee into his groin. The unexpected strength of her blow caused him to fall forward. Katara still held onto him and then as his arms went to his sides, she bit his neck, expelling all of her hatred into his skin. He cried out and a hand went immediately to the place where she had bit him. She watched him fall to the ground and roll over onto his back. His golden eyes opened and bulged out with rage.

"You wench! You… _you_… ahhh!"

Ozai's vision went black as she stuck her fingers into his eye sockets. She pulled back quickly, the sickening feeling crawling up her arm from the touch of his eyes under her fingertips. He started to roll around on the floor, unable to do anything about his sight. His anguished cries filled Katara's ears and they mimicked her mothers. Revenge never sounded as sweet as it did then.

"What's wrong? Aren't we _friends?_"

The unnecessary remark from Katara made the Fire Lord even angrier than he already was. Without knowing where he was aiming, he sent blasts of fire around the room. Katara's eyes widened as she saw one coming straight at her, but she ducked and the blast hit the door, unlocking it from the impact. Ozai heard the door swing open and then he managed to stand up. Katara's only chance at freedom was before her, but getting away from the Fire Lord wasn't going to be as easy as she thought. At that moment, she cried out in pain as she felt flames hit her back. Her vision faded instantly when she hit the ground. Ozai heard the thump and cried out in victory.

"No one crosses me! I am always victorious! As for you wench, you will not … live …a day longer…"

..:-:..

Zuko's consciousness came back to him, and as he felt two pair of arms carrying him, he realized he must not open his eyes. Soon enough he heard Azula's voice echoing down the hall.

"It looks like he is out cold. I knew he would be, though. No one messes with me. I think that the two of you will redeem yourselves worthy. The little iron closet is down the hall and on the left. I have more important things to attend to."

The flash of the water bender's face sped through Azula's mind as she saw the two guards bow. She walked off in the opposite direction in a hurry. Zuko heard her footsteps fade down the hall. A door slammed shut and he knew it was Azula going farther and farther away from him. The two guards jerked in surprise as Zuko's eyes flashed open. He shoved out of their grip and he spiraled, flames erupting from his body as he did it. Once he was on his feet, he knocked the two guards out. Something gleamed as the two guards slipped down to the floor and Zuko realized that they had with them a sword apiece. He took both and weighed them in his hands. They were heavier than his broad swords, but he would manage. Zuko began to track his way back, but suddenly he saw a door swing open down the hall. Screams echoed in his ears and he realized that one of them belonged to a woman. His guts twisted inside as the knowledge wielded its power and gave him strength.

He made his way stealthy down the hall and towards the open door. Firelight bounced off of the wall and Zuko's heart began to race. His swords were in front of him, and he was ready to attack. However, the closer he crept to the door, the quieter it became. All his ears could identify was the crackling of the fireplace. Zuko finally reached his destination and took a deep breath. He jumped quietly into the room's entrance, and his arms dropped to his sides immediately.

Katara was lying there motionless. A painful arrow shot itself into Zuko's heart when he saw her torn clothes and burnt skin. He put only one sword to his side and tip toed inside. Another body was lying in the distance and Zuko wouldn't have realized who it was if not for the gold crown on the floor a few feet away. Complete fury raged through his mind and heart, and he would have killed his father then and there, but he knew that he needed to get Katara out of the palace first. He knelt by her and picked her up in his arms. It was then when he realized how small she had become. In the past few days, they had barely anything to eat and he gritted his teeth.

Zuko walked out of the room and made his way down the numerous halls. It seemed like forever until they reached the entrance of the palace. Zuko's adrenaline was at its highest. He had expected to run into many guards but shockingly there was only one, which he knocked out with a fire blast right when he saw him. His thoughts then turned to Azula and he realized that she must have sent every guard in search of Katara. Zuko looked down at her face and his heart began to ache.

"I don't know what my father did to you, but I promise I will take better care of you from now on."

The sun was right above them and Zuko had to squint to see Tochigi far in the distance. In his gut, he knew that they couldn't go back. It was too dangerous and they would most likely end up getting caught again. Zuko turned around and started on their journey away from Tochigi.

..:-:..

The sun was beginning to set, and Zuko's mouth hung open. His breaths were deep and he began to heave. His body had become dehydrated and his arms grew weary from carrying Katara, even though she was light. In the distance, he saw another village and a stream. Zuko thanked Agni and made his final steps towards the source of water. He stumbled and Katara fell out of his arms. She rolled away a few feet and then began to stir. Pain seared through her back, but she opened her eyes and saw Zuko's pained face near the stream.

"Zuko!"

She found new strength and crawled to him using her arms. The two of them were lying next to each other on the hard ground. Katara outstretched her arm and moved her hand in slow circles. Soon enough a small string of water made its way to Zuko's open mouth. He felt the cool wet liquid on his parched lips and swallowed thankfully when the blessed water filled his mouth. Katara did this herself and then laid back heaving. Zuko's eyes opened and he propped himself up. He brought Katara to his side and stroked her cheek gently.

"Katara, don't ever leave me again."

She managed to smile, but had to close her eyes.

"I need more water… my back…"

Katara winced in pain as Zuko moved her aside. He turned her over and cupped the water flowing in the stream. She felt the water drip down her back and concentrated all of her thoughts on the liquid. Zuko saw it glow and sink into her back. He knelt beside her again and she opened her eyes.

"Thank you Zuko."

Her soft smile calmed his worries and he knew she would be all right.

..:-:..

Azula had looked for the entire day, and found nothing in the forest except for a pair of huts. She burned them down instantly. Her prey was not there and she was angered further by not finding the prisoner. She returned to the cells, still unable to explain to herself how the girl had escaped. Azula scanned each corner and then suddenly she felt something sleek under her fingertips. She took the jewel into her hands and smirked.

"Looks like I've found something useful after all."

* * *

**A/N:** Surprised? Shocked? Numbed? I would to hear your reactions! For some reason it was easier to write the parts with Azula than the parts with Ozai… I don't know why lol xP

**NEXT:** Okay, so now that they escaped (a miracle, I know) they will be having a much-needed talk about things… and then… a surprise visit from someone. But not everyone will be reunited happily. Be prepared for a main character death!

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

-Monika-


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Wow... I am in so much shock that I've come this far with this fic... so many chapters and still more to write! WOW! lol :D Thank you everyone who has supported me with this fic! It's all thanks to your great reviews! ...anyways... for this chapter, all I'm saying is... be prepared to be happy, and then be prepared to be saddened... :( PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! okay... i'll leave you to it then...

* * *

**Chapter 12**

The sun would set in a few hours of time. Shadows stretched from the stumps of the trees and both Zuko and Katara sat against one, scanning the fields around them. His arm was around her and they were resting peacefully. To their backs was another fire nation village, which had already seemed to be filled with fire nation soldiers. It was far in the distance still, and the two of them didn't have any reason to move elsewhere. Katara's eyes remained closed, but she couldn't fall asleep. The warmth of the sun was still upon them, and even though they were in the shade, and she was leaning against Zuko, thoughts ran through her head of the new knowledge she had come to posses.

He stroked her arm up and down with his fingers, and Zuko could see the pain in her face. Each was still weak and needed to conserve energy. The days ahead would be the most painful experiences yet, and they needed to be prepared. So far, Katara hadn't spoken to Zuko. She told him that they would speak when the time was right, but he was growing weary, and his thoughts burned inside his mind. He needed to know what had happened to her.

Katara began to stir, her mind unable to contain all of her feelings anymore. Zuko lifted his head off of hers and looked at her anxiously. Her beautiful blue orbs appeared and he smiled gently.

"Are you rested?"

She pushed off of the tree and sat up fully. Her arms stretched out and then she twisted around towards Zuko. Instantly her eyes changed and in them he saw pain and sorrow, even the slightest bit of embarrassment.

"Yes, and I am ready to talk."

..:-:..

Azula's newest finding had lifted her spirits and she was in a most cheerful mood. The Jade Jewel burned inside of her hand and she felt its power seeking out its prey, much like her. After a while, she grew tiresome of wandering the palace and then thought to visit her dear brother in his confinement. She snickered as she turned down the hall and made her way to the smallest room that was in the palace. When she came to it, she stood with her hands on her hips and sneered.

"How are you doing Zuzu? Enjoying the special deluxe _royal_ treatment?"

No answer came and her taunt echoed to no one. Her sneer widened as she realized he must have suffocated in the room. Quickly, she opened the lock and swung the door open. Azula faltered and stepped back in shock. The space was empty and Zuko didn't occupy it. Once she came to her senses, she slammed the door and looked around her. The walls bore the faintest scorch marks and her lips curled viciously as she let out a frustrated yell. Her breath was scarce, and when she regained her patience, she realized that a door was open down the hall. It confused her; she had no awareness of someone occupying this end of the palace. As she crept closer, Azula heard a dark yell of agony and her eyes widened with fright. She knew that deep voice, that deep growl of frustration.

It was her father.

Azula approached the door cautiously and then when she saw her father on the luxurious bed, she took a deep intake of air and stepped inside. As her gaze fell onto the two nurses dressed in blue, she knew at once something had happened.

"Father?"

Ozai heard the delicate voice of his daughter and it pleased him. The pain behind his eyes caused him to see nothing but a deep brooding darkness, but his hearingwas in tact. He raised his fingers and curled them, beckoning the fire prodigy to his side. She laced her fingers between his and sat down near the bed.

"Daughter, I am under an unusual circumstance as of now."

His teeth gritted as he said it and Azula's eyes miraculously shed tears.

"Father… what is wrong? Are you ill?"

"No, I am not ill. I have… temporarily lost my vision."

She gasped but he gripped onto her hand tighter. Azula looked up and she saw that the two nurses were prisoners they had acquired from the water tribe. Two healers, which Azula watched as she sat there, began to compress cool packs of liquid onto the Fire Lord's eyes. He squeezed her hand even more as the deep pain seeped through his eyes. Bright stars exploded from the back of his head and his jaw fell down onto his chest. At that moment, Azula shot up from her chair and pointed a trembling finger at the two nurses.

"What have you done to him?"

They whimpered and the older one found her voice first.

"It is how he is to be treated. To re-regain his eyesight, the pressure has to be reversed."

She sat down, still eyeing the two healers. Azula heard a grunt from her father and then turned to him anxiously.

"Can you see me father?"

Ozai closed his eyes and growled.

"That wench! She will pay dearly for what she has done to me! It could take all night to heal my eyes!"

Azula leaned in closer and shook her head confused.

"What wench? What happened to cause this state of agony for you father?"

His anger subsided. Azula's voice calmed his nerves and he closed his eyes.

"I had a little get together with that girl you imprisoned last night," Azula's jaw dropped down and her eyes bulged, "I thought little of her since there was no water in the room…but… she managed to jab me in the eyes…"

As he spoke the last part, Azula heard anger, resentment, and embarrassment in his voice.

"How was she able to…"

Azula was stunned at the news that the water bender had not escaped at all. She was even in more of a surprise to find out that her father had been at the palace for most likely the entire time. It sickened her to see her father in this kind of pain, and all because that stupid girl poked him in the eyes. But how did she get in that kind of position so that she was able to do it?

"Silence! You will ask no more questions, understood?"

Azula sat back in her chair and let go of the Fire Lord's hand. Another pack of water was put on top of Ozai's eyes, and yet again it was followed by an angry yell. Suddenly, Azula realized she had something in her left hand. Her amber eyes glowed with delight and she smiled.

"Father, I believe I have good news!"

He chuckled angrily, as if telling her without words that there could be no good news at this point. She took his hand gently and placed the Jade Jewel in his hands. Ozai felt the jagged emerald in his palm, and then he curled his fingers around it. A devious smiled spread across his face as the power raced up his arm.

"Daughter, is this what I believe it is?"

"Yes. I have found the Jade Jewel!"

He grinned maliciously and turned his head towards Azula. The pain behind his eyes wasn't so unbearable anymore.

"You are the most magnificent daughter I could ask for."

She blushed and bowed, even though Ozai himself couldn't see her do it.

"I live to serve thee, Fire Lord Ozai."

The two of them sat in silence, both reveling in the fact that they had yet one more weapon in their vast collection. Victory would be coming, it would come very soon.

..:-:..

Zuko sat up and crossed his legs. His eyes bore their gaze on her pained face and he sighed. Katara looked off into the distance and began to recount the day's events.

"I wasn't aware I was taken away from the cell until I woke up this morning. A comfortable bed of unimaginable luxury surrounded me and I felt like I was dreaming. Suddenly I realized I was chained to it, but I broke free of the confinement. I was about ready to open the door when someone came in and shut it close."

Zuko narrowed his eyes and bit his tongue. He knew it was his father who had done it. His body lied there next to hers when he had found her. His attention was brought back to Katara, as she looked straight into his eyes.

"He came in and threw me back on the bed. I wanted to know what he wanted with me, but he would always skip around the subject, telling me that we were… _friends_."

The heat in Zuko's body began to rise and his jaw clenched.

"Ozai finally began to tell me of my mother. He said that she didn't die as I had thought…"

Zuko's anger suddenly changed into sympathy as he saw the tears forming in her eyes. Katara's voice grew quieter and she barely moved her lips.

"The night the fire nation attacked my village… was the night your father… raped my mother…"

His anger sprang upwards, straight through his chest and Zuko shot up angrily. He yelled out in frustration and hit the tree with amazing force.

"That bastard!"

Katara's tears stopped flowing immediately and she put a hand on Zuko's shoulder. He turned around and grabbed her arms. Her eyes widened and her mouth parted slightly.

"Did he hurt you? _Are you okay?_ I could have done something to protect you!"

His golden eyes were on fire and his fury burned through his face, causing his scar to become more hideous than before. Katara reached up and cupped his face with her soft hands.

"Zuko! I'm fine! He tried to _persuade me_, as he did my mother, but I knocked him out…"

He let go of her and then the anger in his entire body vanished. Katara saw the ferocity die out and she let her tears spill onto her cheeks. Zuko pulled her into his embrace and stroked her back gently.

"I will kill him for what he did… I will _kill_ him…"

Katara pushed away from Zuko suddenly and walked away a few steps. His eyes narrowed and he looked away. He had no inkling whatsoever as to why she refused to be near him.

"Katara?"

She heard the desperation in his voice and she turned on her heal.

"Zuko, I'm tired of all of this. You keep speaking of murder and Aang must do that himself to keep the world in peace. I just can't bear it anymore; I feel like there is no happiness in my life when I'm surrounded by all of the horrible things that are happening."

At that moment a trail of smoke billowed out from the center of the nearby village. Zuko stepped near Katara and put his arm around her shoulder. She wrapped hers around his waist and they watched the gray clouds swarm up towards the clear blue sky. The sun was beginning its decent and the breeze blew by swiftly. Katara shivered and Zuko wrapped both arms around her. She sobbed into Zuko's chest and he buried his face into her neck. She smelled of burnt fire and ashes, but he didn't care the least bit. Katara was with him, and that brought him all of the joy in the world.

"You speak of no happiness in your life Katara."

She looked up as her light sobs diminished. Zuko wiped her cheek softly and she stared into his eyes. His tangled hair fell down towards her face slightly and she felt like she was surrounded by his presence.

"And I am sorry you feel that way. There was a time when there was no happiness in my life as well. It was this morning, when I woke up and didn't feel your soothing warmth beside me. As I awoke and saw you had disappeared, my heart shattered and I became lost in sorrow."

Katara's lips parted a small amount, and she gazed at Zuko intently, amazed beyond words at what he was saying.

"When I finally found you lying there, I was overcome by so much anger and hatred because you had been hurt. But likewise, I was filled with so much bliss, that I didn't feel the burden of your weight as I carried you away from that hell."

Zuko traced his fingers over her cheek and slid them down to her lips, and then her chin. He leaned his head closer and whispered as the breeze rustled their hair.

"I don't think I have ever felt this way about anyone before. I hated myself for not telling you sooner, because I didn't know if I would see you again, but I know now that I love you beyond your imagination."

Katara closed her eyes slowly and felt the rush of warmth as his lips brushed hers. Zuko pulled her in closer to him and she whimpered slightly as she bore her fingers into his back. Suddenly, through all of that passion, Zuko pulled away, a wet liquid slipping down his cheeks. He opened his golden eyes and saw that Katara's eyes were brimmed with tears once again.

"What is wrong?"

She wiped away at her cheeks vigorously and smiled beautifully.

"Nothing is wrong Zuko. After all this time, I have finally realized that there_ is_ happiness in the world for me. I love you so much, and as long I'm with you, I think I'll manage to smile."

His lips turned into the gentlest of smiles as he pressed them against hers again. Katara felt lost and alone after receiving news of her mother's true past, but when Zuko finally told her his deepest emotions, she realized too that if it wasn't for him being next to her, to guide her through all the darkness, she wouldn't be able to live with any amount of joy in her life. Their lips parted and Zuko pulled her up, twirling her around in circles. She laughed cheerfully as she felt the warm breeze blow by. As Zuko set her down again, she held onto him tightly and Zuko sighed. His heart was free from burden and he thought only of how much he adored her.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and saw a not too distant mountain range. Zuko didn't know why he hadn't seen it before, and then he let go of Katara, with his mouth wide open.

"Zuko? Are you all right?"

"I can't believe it but… tell me what you see."

He pointed straight at the mountain and then down below to the ground. Katara narrowed her gaze and shielded her eyes with her hand. Everything in side of her began to go off like fireworks, and she jumped up and down, grabbing onto Zuko's arm as she did so.

"Zuko! That's Appa! And if that's Appa, that must mean Aang is with him!"

She grabbed his wrist and the two of them ran through the thick grass. Indeed straight ahead of them was a cave and a white blur was in front of it.

..:-:..

Appa saw the two figures running towards him and he stood his ground. They were covered in dirt and their clothes were torn, but as they came closer, Appa recognized the girl and he bellowed out a greeting. Both Zuko and Katara stood there panting and then once she finally recovered her breath, she smiled widely.

"Appa! It's so nice to see you boy!"

She hugged his white fur and closed her eyes taking in his musky scent. Aang was in the cave when he heard the familiar voice of a girl and his gray eyes brightened. The Avatar raced out into the sunlight and swung his arms to his sides.

"Katara!"

"Aang!"

The two of them hugged each other fiercely and when they stepped back from each other, a small faint rose color spread across his cheeks.

"Aang, I'm so happy to see that you are all right!"

"What happened to you Katara?" he had just noticed her bad condition, "did you go swimming with the hummble hips or something?"

She laughed at his innocent question and he smiled as she put a hand to her mouth.

"No Aang, I didn't go swimming with the humble hips… I…"

Suddenly her smile vanished as she remembered everything that had led her to be in this condition. Just as quickly as the laughter died, Aang saw Zuko standing shyly behind her and his eyes bulged.

"Katara! Watch out! Zuko's right behind you!"

She turned around and her smile came back to her face.

"Don't worry Aang. He wouldn't hurt me. Zuko's on our side now. Say hello Zuko!"

She brought him forwards and he scratched the back of his neck before he bowed slightly.

"Hello…er… _Aang_…"

At first Aang was completely shocked at the sudden transformation of the exiled fire prince, but then he smiled widely and bowed his head.

"Hello Zuko! I'm glad that we can be friends now!"

He beamed but then a figure came and stood next to Aang. Katara's mouth dropped and so did Zuko's, even more than hers.

"Hello Katara… hello Zuko…"

Jeong-Jeong bowed his head slightly. Katara and Zuko both repeated the action and closed their gaping mouths simultaneously. Aang's smile broadened even more as he introduced him.

"Katara, Zuko, this is Master Jeong-Jeong. He's been traveling with me and teaching me fire bending! Do you want to see what I can do Katara?"

She laughed a bit and shook her head.

"Maybe tomorrow. Aang… we were wondering…"

He perked up as Zuko and Katara both put a hand to their stomachs. Zuko looked around hungrily and asked, "Do you have any food?"

..:-:..

The sun had set and the stars shined in the dark sky. Each of them sat around a fire, which Zuko had volunteered to conjure up. Appa blocked the entrance to the cave so that their cover wouldn't be blown. They had spent the time recounting Aang's travels and how he had found Jeong-Jeong once again. Each had avoided the subject about the forthcoming comet and what was to be done. Suddenly Katara smiled and dared to ask the question that had been on her tongue the entire evening.

"Aang? Do you know anything about where Sokka is? Is he all right and well?"

A soft breeze flew into the cave, causing the fire to flicker and create dancing shadows on the wall. Jeong-Jeong closed his eyes, a grim expression overtaking his face. Zuko looked to the Avatar expectantly, also wanting to know news of Katara's brother. Aang's smile vanished immediately and Katara's bright eyes displayed worry and growing anticipation.

"Aang? Where's Sokka?"

The Avatar looked away sadly and sighed.

"I'm sorry Katara. Sokka's gone."

Her mouth dropped open and no words came out. Her body went completely numb and she couldn't breathe. After a few seconds, Aang looked at her nervously.

"Katara? I'm sorry…he was killed in the second battle of Ba Sing Se."

A small choke tilted her body forwards and then her eyes closed. Zuko lunged forwards and grabbed her limp body.

"Katara? Katara! Can you hear me?"

He turned her over and her mouth was closed. Zuko leaned in and felt her breath come out of her nose and he sighed with relief. She was consumed by darkness, but her eyes produced sorrowful tears. Her loving brother was gone. Zuko stroked her head and Aang eyed the two uneasily. Jeong-Jeong gave a great sigh and Zuko turned towards him. The fire bending master stood up and looked down to the girl, sadness in his aged eyes.

"It was a terrible loss. He gave his life away to protect that of another fighting beside him. His last words were, 'Tell Katara I love her.' This war has only brought the loss of loved ones and sadness to the entire world."

He turned to Aang and smiled just barely.

"Get some sleep Aang. Tomorrow I will teach you the finally move you need to master."

As Jeong-Jeong turned around, he stopped. Zuko looked to his back anxiously as he asked his most burning question.

"Can you teach me as well Master Jeong-Jeong?"

He turned his head towards the ex-prince and nodded.

"All right."

Both he and Aang went to separate sides of the cave and found their sleeping bags. Zuko shifted a bit and then looked up when Aang came to him with a sleeping back and a blanket.

"This is for the two of you…"

Zuko took the warmth and nodded.

"Thank you."

As his eyes left his, Zuko was not sure of what he saw in them. For a moment, it seemed like there was a small hint of sadness in them, but he did not know why. Zuko pulled Katara close to him, and he looked over her peaceful face with agony. Her life had been filled with so much pain and sorrow. As he closed his eyes and yawned, he promised himself that he would do everything he could to end this war, and all of the pain it brought her.

* * *

**A/N:** PLEASE PLEASE, PLEASEEEE don't hate me for killing Sokka! I know, we all love him and I'm a killer of characters... but it will the inspiration for what's coming up... which btw is... you guessed it... the final fight with Ozai is coming! OMG! lol xP 

So they finally told each other the big three words! If you look back at the other chapter, right before they fall asleep, Zuko's like "I...I..." he was going to say it, but he diddd inntt! LOL! xD I'm devious! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though the end was sad and I know the chapter was shorter than usual... but I'll make that up with the next ones! or at least I'll try lol

Have a wonderful day! oh...a**nd Zutara rocks!**

-Monika-


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** What is there to say? How about we just get right to it, huh? Lol For those of you who are still mourning the death of Sokka, I hope you will understand Sokka's message… you'll see what I mean :)

* * *

Chapter 13 

_The fields were covered in blood. Everywhere she looked, dead bodies scattered around in every direction. She was lost, miserable and alone without anyone to help guide her. Her sorrowful eyes scanned the scene with intense worry and she began to run. In the distance, her eyes caught the sight of a red boomerang and her hand went up to her mouth as a sigh escaped her mouth. Katara ran straight towards him, his body mangled and his hair hung loose around his face. Sokka's eyes were closed and then she turned him over, taking out her canteen of water. But when she saw the wound in his abdomen, and when she put her fingers to his wrist, she dropped it and tears started to fall down her cheeks. Katara rocked herself back and forth, clutching her stomach as she did so. The unbearable amount of pain inside of her heart was overpowering and soon she felt buried in it. Suddenly, through the dark sky above, a light began to shine and she looked up, her tears vanishing from her face. _

_"Sokka?" _

_Her brother floated down towards her and she cried joyously. His affectionate smile soothed her soul and she hugged him fiercely. _

_"Don't ever play that kind of joke on my again Sokka! I thought you were gone…" _

_She looked up to his eyes and saw a hint of sympathy in them. _

_"Katara, I might not be here with you, but you have to promise me that you won't live your life mourning over my loss." _

_She reached out to him as he started to float away. His figure was vanishing and she didn't want him to leave. _

_"But Sokka! I don't want you to leave!" _

_"Be strong Katara. You have a duty to the world, and you need strength to fulfill it." _

_With that, the light disappeared, and she was alone again, looking up to the moon for guidance. _

..:-:..

Katara winced slightly before opening her eyes. The dream had felt so real, but it was only a dream. His last words still rang inside of her head and then she got up slowly. Her heart weighed her down heavily, but suddenly she heard a loud thump and looked to her right side. Zuko's arm had fallen to the ground. Katara gazed at his sleeping face adoringly. She made sure that Aang and Jeong-Jeong were still sleeping and then she tilted her head. Katara kissed Zuko's nose, his forehead and then finally his lips. Zuko stirred when he felt the soft warmth on his mouth. When he realized it was Katara, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards him firmly. She giggled slightly as Zuko's fingers grazed the back of her neck. Her worries and heartaches were lifted away just a bit, and her brother's words rang through her head once more, until she finally felt at peace. Suddenly, the two of them pulled away when they heard a soft cough. Katara and Zuko looked up to see Jeong-Jeong's warning scowl on his face. She looked to the other side of the pile of ashes and saw that Aang was stirring. Zuko helped Katara stand up quickly, and they started to wander around the campsite. The morning sunlight streamed inside of the cave and Aang jumped up and stretched his arms.

"Good morning everyone! Katara, do you have breakfast ready?"

She laughed somewhat and nodded.

"I'll get on that Aang."

Her duty was to help the Avatar win the war. She had finally realized that, and she knew the pain of sacrifice. Sokka had chosen to go fight on the battlefields and it was his fate to die for the world. Inside, she smiled to herself, remembering all of the wonderful memories she had of her brother. Somehow, Katara wasn't so sad anymore. She felt his presence right beside her and it calmed her immensely.

Once breakfast was served and eaten, the true obstacles of the day began. Zuko and Aang went outside of the cave and Jeong-Jeong gave taught them the last lesson they needed to learn. But before they had done that, a matter of most importance needed to be addressed. After breakfast, Katara went up to Aang and smiled.

"Aang, as you can tell, my clothes are a bit worn out. Do you still have all of my other stuff that I had packed?"

"Of course I do Katara! They're up on Appa's saddle. I think Jeong-Jeong has something for Zuko too…"

"That's great!"

She found the bag very easily and went around the cave to change. Once she took off her old clothes and put on her new ones, she walked up to Zuko and he smiled.

"Wow… you look nice…"

He whispered it in her ear and she laughed a little. Katara quickly pulled away from his embrace however, and handed him the old clothes. She could tell that he was very confused.

"What's this for?"

"I want you to burn them. I have no use for this anymore."

Zuko nodded and punched his fist towards the pile on the ground. They watched the clothes turn into ash and then Katara doused the smoldering flames with a bit of water. She turned to Zuko and he sighed.

"I wish I had some new clothes too… these are getting a bit worn out…"

He saw her smile brightly and then she walked towards Appa. When she came back, a bundle of new clothes was in her hands. She handed it to him and smiled.

"Here you go! Your wish has been granted."

"Where'd you get this from?"

It was almost the same outfit, the colors matching perfectly.

"Jeong-Jeong said he had some extras so he gave it to you."

Zuko nodded and went to Katara's changing spot. When he came out again, his face was no longer dirty and his hair was actually combed through. Katara observed him with wide eyes and her heart started to beat faster. He looked so incredibly handsome; her cheeks flushed and he smirked.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who gets a redo."

Katara laughed and peered over to where Jeong-Jeong was talking with Aang. Their backs were towards them, and so she grabbed Zuko by his wrist and dragged him behind Appa. Zuko let go of his old clothes and then found himself in Katara's arms. She kissed him passionately and then when she pulled her lips away, he looked at her amazed.

"What did I do to deserve _that_?"

Katara smiled and looked into his eyes with a smirk.

"Nothing, I just felt like it."

He looked at her with astonishment, but then he remembered the news she had received the day before. Was she trying to push the sadness away?

"Katara," his smile was gone and he turned serious. She let her arms fall to her sides and then he continued, "do you want to talk about your brother?"

She let out a deep sigh and turned away.

"I'm fine with it Zuko. I've accepted the fact that he's gone. I have to move on and complete my duty."

He narrowed his eyes and stepped back.

"What duty?"

"I have to help Aang," she smiled slowly and took his hand, "come on, let's go. We have a lot of training to do today."

They made their way from their hiding place and Jeong-Jeong scolded them.

"Where were you? We need to start meditating right away!"

"Sorry," Katara answered, "we were changing into our new clothes."

"Oh yes, I see that. Okay, let's start now. In your stances everyone!"

They followed each command and moved their hands and arms in a fluid motion. With each breath, in and out, everyone felt their chi expanding through their arms and into the air around them. After an hour of this, Jeong-Jeong stood before them with his hands behind his back. Each eye opened at once and their arms fell to their sides.

"Now it is time to learn an advanced attack. I will teach each one of you separately. I expect everyone to be breathing while they wait. No talking is allowed. Concentrate and breathe."

He turned to Katara first and let Zuko and Aang wait for their turns. Katara bowed as he came in front of her and a small smile tugged at his lips.

"You are special. I have a unique attack for you to master. Am I safe to assume that you are one of the water benders?"

She nodded and smiled.

"All right then. Follow my directions. Take a step forwards, and then back. Repeat this. Forwards and back. Good. Now as you do this, I want you to keep breathing, and then close your eyes. Imagine the water flowing inside of you, forwards and back."

He left her to do this for a few minutes and then she heard his whisper in her ear.

"Feel it rising within you. The power of all the water benders is at your command. Now raise your arms and push the water forwards. Hit the tree in front of you. Don't open your eyes!"

She winced but then steadied her breath and managed to summon all of the strength she possessed. With one swift shove, she felt the power rush through her fingers and run in front of her. Katara opened her eyes and saw the tree in front of her. As she neared it, her eyes widened and she saw that there was a huge dent in its bark. Jeong-Jeong saw the wonder in her eyes and he smiled.

"How did I do that? There's no water around here!"

He stepped near her and nodded.

"Yes, that is correct. But there is water where no one can see it. There is water,_ life_, inside of your body. It is the source of your ability to breath and move. Using that, you will be able to produce the most powerful water attack. It is all found within yourself. Now that you have mastered it, go back to your breathing position and clear your mind. Only think of the water inside of you."

Katara nodded and went back to her stance. She raised her arms and brought them back down to her chest. Jeong-Jeong's next pupil was Zuko. He put a hand on his shoulder and beckoned him towards the cave. Inside of it, there was no light except for the dim sun at the entrance. Zuko needed to hold onto Jeong-Jeong's shoulder so that he would not falter and hit his face against the ground. Suddenly, they stopped. Darkness engulfed them all around and then the master's voice resounded in the cave.

"You need to stay in your breathing stance. Good. As you breathe, make sure you do not only concentrate on your body, but the surroundings, which encompass your life. This cave blocks out all sunlight, which is the source of your power. But the sun gives life to everything around you. Its power lives in the very ground you walk on. Find the source of your power not _missing_, only not yet found. Concentrate Zuko, and then do what it tells you to do."

He closed his eyes and started to breathe. All of a sudden, as his thoughts focused only on the dirt and the rough cave walls, he felt an urge to raise his hands. The power flowed through his fingers and then he clenched his hands into a pair of fists. In one swift movement, his fists came down to his chest and then pushed outside to the walls of the cave. Zuko opened his eyes and found that the cave was glowing and he could make out the smiling form of Jeong-Jeong.

"Perfect. You have mastered the ability to find other uses for your fire bending. Even if it seems that you are at a disadvantage, think of the power of the sun in everything on the planet."

They walked out and Zuko returned to his breathing position next to Katara. Jeong-Jeong walked in front of Aang and he looked at him intently. His voice was carried away with the wind and was barely heard.

"Avatar, you have been meditating for the entire morning, and you have now successfully completed your training."

Zuko and Katara both shot their eyes open in shock and their mouths gaped. Aang slid his feet together and then bowed his head slowly.

"Thank you Master Jeong-Jeong. You have taught me that I need to rely on the balance of my inner strength. I must see not with my eyes, but with my hands and feet. I must attack not with power, but cunning. I must not melt in fear, but I must move swiftly with my confidence. And finally, I must drift through the elements so that I am complete."

A small smile graced the old man's face and a tear swept down slowly from his left eye.

"You are going to bring the world peace Avatar Aang. The day is finally here."

Aang nodded grimly and looked to his friends who stood there with shock and fright in their eyes.

"Sozen's comet will cross the skies this evening at midnight. The time has come to defeat the fire lord."

The sun gleamed high in the sky and everyone stood in silence. The dawning of the battle was drawing closer and closer. Katara heard the words come out of Aang, but she finally understood that he wasn't just a twelve-year-old boy; he was the world's savior, and he had to rid it of the evil it was surrounded in. She stood in her meditating stance once again, and then Zuko nodded and followed her example. Jeong-Jeong acknowledged this and did the same along with Aang. The day passed by slowly, and then, as the sun began to set, their journey began.

..:-:..

After slowly making their way back towards the palace, Jeong-Jeong, Aang, Zuko and Katara were all alert and silent. There weren't that many guards about the palace and using their newfound powers and strengths, they were able to eliminate all of the guards. Their path was secured under the darkness of the evening and as the door creaked loudly, each of them made their way inside of the brooding palace.

Once they were inside, Jeong-Jeong stopped and bowed to the trio.

"This is where I say my goodbye."

They looked at him with round eyes and he smiled.

"Why are you leaving?"

"Aren't you going to help us?"

The old man shook his head and stepped back.

"I have already done that which I was destined to do. Now it is your turn to follow the footsteps of your destiny. You all have the skill and knowledge to defeat the Fire Lord. I have no doubts that tomorrow the world will be a safer place."

And with that, his figure flickered and vanished right before their eyes. They stood dumbstruck but Aang came to his senses first. He was a changed person; the Avatar had matured considerably in the months apart from Katara and her brother. He motioned towards the two of them and they headed along the hallways silently. Door after door opened, and more and more guards were taken down. Not one of them had broken into a sweat, but they finally made their way towards the center of the palace. Time was of the essence and they needed to find Ozai as quickly as possible. They stopped and looked at each other with a deep concentration. Wordlessly, each put a hand in front of them, and when the three hands were on top of each other, they closed their eyes, and spread their chi into each other's bodies. As their hands fell to their sides, Aang smiled and nodded.

"We will be able to connect with each other's minds now. If we find someone and need help, just think."

Katara nodded and squeezed Aang tightly.

"Thank you Aang for giving the world hope. Be careful!"

He nodded and smiled cheerfully. There was no doubt about it; he was still just a kid.

They came to a three-way fork in the halls and each took one hallway. Katara took a deep breath and went down her hall, but then suddenly she felt a strong tug and a hand over her mouth. She wanted to scream, but then she suddenly saw Zuko's face in front of her. He let go and then Katara gasped.

"Zuko! Don't do that again! I was so scared!"

He looked at her deeply and then pulled her into him tightly. His arms wouldn't let go of her delicate form as he kissed her intensely. She poured her love for him in that kiss and then she buried her head into his neck. Zuko caressed her hair and then put his head on top of hers.

"I will be fine Katara. Please take care of yourself."

She looked up at his golden eyes and saw the torches of flames flicker in them. With all her strength, she pushed away from him and nodded.

"I love you Zuko. This will all be over soon."

He couldn't get the lump in his throat to fade away, so all he did was nod. Suddenly, he leapt away from her and went back into his original hallway. The image of her round crystal eyes haunted his thoughts, but he breathed in deeply and concentrated on the task at hand.

Each of them walked on and on, but no one was found in the rooms they looked in. It was strange and it gave Katara the sense that something was wrong. Zuko kept his eyes alert and then suddenly, he saw a door opening on his left. He hid behind a pillar, his entire body tense, but then his muscles relaxed.

_"Aang, I'm over here!" _

His silent whisper reached the Avatar's brain quickly and he knew where Zuko was. Without hesitation, Zuko approached the Avatar and together, they wandered down the rest of the hall. Suddenly, they reached the end of the hall and there was one room left that hadn't been open. A voice thundered inside of it and Zuko knew all too well who it belonged to. Zuko looked over to Aang and nodded. They blasted the door open and Azula fell onto the floor at the sudden invisible impact. Her sneer disappeared when she saw her brother enter the room with the Avatar.

"Well it looks like I have company. _Please_, why don't you sit down and have some tea? I'm sure the comet will look _spectacular_ today. Oh _wait_, you won't be able to see it."

She said this with her all too familiar sneer and both Aang and Zuko stood in a fighting stance. However, Zuko noted to Aang mentally that it was his fight against his sister, and he wanted to do it alone. Azula cocked her head when the Avatar backed down and walked out of the room. Her wicked laughter resounded through the room and she moved her leg forward so that she was in her fighting stance as well.

"Is the Avatar afraid of me? How flattering!"

But Zuko didn't move an inch and he started to breathe.

"I wouldn't be talking like that Azula. My entire life, you have goaded over me with your prodigy talents. Now it is my turn to defeat you."

He punched the air forwards and a blast of fire swept towards her rapidly. At first she was shocked at how fast the attack sped towards her, but then she side stepped it just as it was about to graze her shoulder.

"My, my! You have improved…._but so have I._"

The fire princess made an arc with her arm and then shot a quick line of blue fire towards her brother. He dodged this attack as she did his and then he spun around toward her aiming and shooting at her again. She blocked his hand and the fire went up towards the ceiling of the small room. Azula stepped around her brother and then sent a stream of blue up towards the ceiling. Zuko felt her run towards the side of the room, and then at the last second he looked up to see the attack coming down on him. He closed his eyes and brought the energy of the fire towards him. Azula stood there gaping as her attack fell down on all sides of her brother, but not on him directly. Her fists fumed and she attacked him with all of her strength. Zuko leapt up and spun around towards the doorway. Her attack hit the wall and then she turned around, anger boiling on her face.

"You'll pay dearly for taunting with me! _You_… ah!"

Zuko let his arms fall to his sides as his sisters attack countered against the wall and hit her square in her back. She fell to the floor with a loud thump and then Aang appeared at his side.

"Is she…"

"No, she's not dead. But she will be out for the night. She is a powerful bender, and she got hit with her own attack. Everything will already be over when she wakes up."

The Avatar nodded and then they began to walk around the room. They found two doors and they each went through one of them. Zuko felt the doorknob burn under his fingers, but he clenched it and as he turned it, Zuko closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. As Zuko stepped inside of the blood red room, he squinted trying to see who was in it. Suddenly, the door behind him swung shut and he jumped after hearing sinister laughter. Katara was still walking down her hall and then she finally neared the end of it. Her body tensed as she heard a deep brooding laughter come from the room on her right. She walked up to the door and leaned an ear against it. Zuko stood frozen as he looked into his father's face.

"So you've finally found me Zuko. I must admit, it's a nice surprise, but then again, I really do wish Azula were here. Can you go fetch her for me? Only a _true_ member of the fire nation deserves to share the power I am about to gain tonight."

Zuko clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes. Katara's mouth hung open and then she pulled on the doorknob at once when she heard his name and his father's voice. But the door was locked.

* * *

**A/N:** It begins! Omg… I'm so excited to write the next chapter! I tried to put in some more fluff in this chapter… the fic was starting to feel a bit lonesome without it lol xD Will they survive the night? Stayed tuned to find out! Thank you soo much for reading! Please review! I'd really appreciate it:D

All right then, Have a great day everyone!

-Monika-


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"What happened to you Zuko? When I had learned that I was to have a son as my firstborn, I thought that he would be great and would follow in my footsteps, but it looks like you were never worth anything."

Zuko gritted his teeth and started to growl.

"That's enough Ozai! I'm sick of hearing words come out of your foul mouth!"

His father laughed cruelly and stood up from his throne. There was an opening in the top part of the room and the dark sky loomed above it. No clouds were present and the stars shined brilliantly. Katara was trying desperately to open the door but was having no luck. Suddenly she felt the door flame up. Zuko had attacked his father, but the fire missed and went straight to the door.

"Ozai is it now? I thought you wouldn't have changed much, you're a disrespectful grunt just like your mother was!"

Something flicked in the Fire Lord's eyes and his amusing smirk was no longer visible. Instead, his mouth was turned into a grimace and he stood closer to Zuko. He was infuriated by his father's comment about his mother.

"Don't talk about her like that! She was a kind and loving person. You say she wasn't respectful? Look at you; you speak of her like this after she is gone, what do you know of respect?"

Zuko raised his arms in the air and then brought them down with a crossing motion. Two identical streaks of blazing fire sped towards Ozai who pushed them away quite easily.

"You are pathetic Zuko. You don't even deserve to live. Did you really think that you could just come here and _fight_ me?"

Katara was hanging onto every word, every sound she heard echoing in the metallic chamber. She had given up on opening the door; it was pointless. Every inch of her mind was worried about Zuko and she desperately needed to go and help him. That's when it occurred to her that she could communicate with Zuko silently. Katara closed her eyes shut and concentrated on Zuko.

"_Zuko, I'm behind the other door. Open it, I need to come in and help you!"_

Zuko was about to step forward towards his father, and then all of a sudden his expression loosened up and he stared towards the wall behind Ozai.

"No Katara, I want you to go away. I'm not going to let you near this bastard."

She stiffened when she felt his thoughts in her own mind.

"Zuko, you can't do it alone. If you were so intent on keeping me away, then how come you let me go down the hall by myself? Please, I need to help you, you can't do it alone."

Ozai observed as his son stood rooted to his place, not moving a single inch. He seemed to be concentrating on something that wasn't in the room. The Fire Lord raised his eyebrows and then a sneer made its way to his face.

"What's the problem Zuko? Did you suddenly realize how stupid you are for trying to defeat me?"

The prince's golden eyes shifted to meet the ones of his elder and he narrowed his gaze. He took a deep breath and ran straight for his father. Ozai raised his hands quickly and as Zuko punched the air in front of him, the Fire Lord brought his arms back in a circular motion. Zuko's heart was thudding as he sidestepped around his father who was only inches away from him. Zuko jumped in the air and then cart wheeled his way to the door. With a grunt and a firm pull, he opened it. The door creaked slowly and Katara's blue eyes appeared from the darkness. Zuko looked into her eyes with worry but she smiled at him and put a hand on his arm. Ozai turned around and a boom of ominous laughter ruined the happy moment. Both Zuko and Katara turned around to face the Fire Lord and their eyes narrowed as the door slammed shut.

"This is the most entertaining spectacle I have yet to see in my lifetime. My son, the disgrace you are, is consorting with the likes of water tribe peasants. But then again, I guess we do have the same taste in _friends._"

Katara's temper boiled immediately as she was reminded of the sickening act Ozai had wanted her to participate in. She ran away from Zuko and pushed her arms straight forwards to Ozai. He stood still, not moving an inch. Suddenly when Katara was a foot away from him she stopped and moved her arms in round vertical circles. She spun around and thrust her arms straight towards him. The sneer was wiped away as an invisible force pushed Ozai back a step. His robe fluttered slightly and then he narrowed his eyes.

"Zuko is nothing like you! Ozai you are the sickest man I've ever met and you don't deserve to live. Tonight you will pay for all that you have done to the world and to my friends and family!"

She took a step forward and pushed her arm up to Ozai's chest, but he growled and grabbed her attacking arm. Katara screeched as the pain ran up to her shoulders. The spot where Ozai's burning grip remained turned bright red and she winced as her entire body twisted and flew through the air. Zuko watched as Katara's body landed with a thud. Tears fell down from her eyes as she struggled to push herself up. Ozai turned his head to his son and cocked his head to the left.

"See that Zuko? She is a waste of your time! Even though she might have gotten away from me the first time, she was still punished. And now after all of these years, you will be taken care of like I had always planned."

Zuko glanced at Katara who was struggling to keep on fighting and then he yelled in frustration. His insides burned with hatred and he couldn't take it anymore. Ozai was taken aback as he saw the smoldering heat rise from Zuko's body. He gritted his teeth and stood ready to fight his father. For some reason, Ozai felt a little nervous when he saw that his son was becoming so furious. The power of a fire bender was at its best when the emotional level rose, however the ability to control that power required much skill. With one rapid movement, Zuko gathered his arms upwards and then exhaled as the fire within him grew to its hottest temperature. With cunning, he drove his left first forwards and then his right, repeating the movements one after the other. Nothing could prevent the deadly attacks of fire, which seemed to come at Ozai in all directions. But he was the Fire Lord, and his son was no match for him. Ozai moved his hands in a circle, pulling in all of the surrounding fire that came towards him. He pushed the ball of flames upwards towards the open hole in the top of the ceiling.

Zuko was infuriated even more and then ran up to his father. He spun on one foot and tried to kick the flames from underneath the Fire Lord's legs, but Ozai jumped out of the way and stood above Zuko. His blazing hand grabbed his son's throat and Zuko gasped for breath as Ozai picked him up by the throat. Katara heard Zuko choking and her head turned towards Ozai and Zuko.

"Do you believe me _now_? Will you stop trying to act selfless? It will do nothing for you. I'm tired of these silly games."

Zuko's body was thrown against the wall and then he fell to the floor with a loud thump and a groan. Katara saw that he wasn't moving and his eyes were closed. A small trail of blood ran down his bright red neck. The water bender heaved herself up from the ground and yelled in frustration. Her heart ached and she needed to get her revenge. She closed her eyes briefly, allowing the concentration to settle in her stomach. Within a matter of seconds she found the flow of chi and the energy of the water inside of her body. Her fingers felt the cool rush of strength; all of her emotions channeled out into one single blow and as she climbed the air with her hands, Ozai looked on confused. There was nothing she could do to him from so far away and there was no water there anyways. He was wrong however because he didn't know about the invisible source of water that she possessed.

Her eyes shot open and she took a step forwards, her arms pushing through the air together. Ozai roared and pushed his arms, causing the flames inside of him to spill out towards the powerful attack she threw at him. The two attacks collided with one another and a loud explosion took its place. Dust and smoke expelled from the collision and the force pushed back towards Katara. Her eyes widened as she lost her balance and concentration. She was thrown against the wall by her own attack and she hit the wall with her head. When she fell to the ground, her world went black.

Zuko began to stir. He had no idea as to what just happened but he knew that they needed the Avatar's help.

"Aang, you need to come as quickly as you can. Go through the door I went through."

The signal went directly to him; Zuko could feel that. He pushed himself upwards with his hands and arms, but then he needed to close his eyes. The smoke had spread everywhere and he couldn't tell where anything was. Hazy glimmers wandered through the mess as the moon shined down through the hole at the top of the room. Zuko looked up and couldn't believe his eyes. The sky was turning from a dark blue hue to a dark crimson color. There was not much time until the comet would come and Ozai would win the war.

Suddenly the dust and smoke settled and Zuko could see everything. Katara's blue figure lay near the wall closest to him. Her clothes were tattered and she wasn't moving. Her sleek dark hair was mangled and it had woven out of its braid. He turned to his father who was standing in his original spot, but he was hunched over and breathing in deeply. Seeing his opportunity, Zuko took a chance to attack the Fire Lord. He closed his eyes just as Katara had and thought of the fire inside of the steel walls. The fire that burned it to its flat state of being was cooled and forever inside of the fortress. Concentrating with all of his might, Zuko called that energy to him and then focused it into a ball. As he was doing this, Ozai looked at him curiously and then realized that the two of them must have learned something that he had no knowledge of its existence.

The attack was pushed towards Ozai with all of Zuko's strength, but he stood up and stood his ground, redirecting the attack upwards just as he did with everything else. Zuko saw Ozai breathing in deeply and he realized that his father was becoming more tired as the battle wore on. Up above, the crimson color was turning into a bright orange glow with a hint of red hidden around the white moon. Suddenly, Zuko felt a surge of heat as Ozai's attack knocked him back. He stumbled over his legs and fell to the ground. With the last bit of energy that remained in his body, Zuko shot the invisible force residing within him at his father's feet. Ozai winced but stood firmly. A smirk appeared on his face when the room went dead quiet. Zuko and Katara weren't moving at all and as he looked up towards the sky, he knew the comet would be there soon.

"Finally, I am at peace with everything. No one can come and stop me now. That is of course…"

The door from which Zuko came in was shoved open and when the dust settled, Ozai could see the Avatar's figure clearly. Aang quickly looked over to his right and saw that Katara and Zuko were lying motionless on the floor. His fury bottled up inside of him, but he breathed in deeply and tried to remain calm. The last thing he needed was to die while in the Avatar state. He stepped inside with his staff and Ozai laughed out at him.

"What have you done to them Ozai?"

"Nothing Avatar. They did it themselves. I'm being completely honest. Their cunning wasn't good enough. I'd be surprised if they were still alive."

Aang gritted his teeth and pointed his staff towards the Fire Lord.

"Is that all you are going to battle me with? A silly little staff? Tonight I shall take in all of Sozin's energy from his comet and you can't stop me!"

A smirk sliced the young boy's face and he took a step, jumping up into the air.

"That's what you think."

Aang came down towards Ozai, but he was ready with a fire attack of his own. When Aang saw the attack coming towards him, he had to spin his staff to get the flames away from him. He landed back on the ground and then started to spin his staff in vertical circles all around him. The room began to live as the ground shot up around Ozai. The metallic floor shined on all sides of the Fire Lord and then his anger exploded. Fire met steel and it slowly melted to the ground. Aang narrowed his eyes and then decided to run around the cooling metal. A massive tunnel of wind encompassed Ozai and the steel stopped melting. Ozai panicked for a moment as the steel started to cave in on him. He needed to get the comet's power. And that was when he realized that he had a few secret weapons.

He pulled out two little bags from his robe and opened them. Aang had stopped running and the wind was swept away through the roof. His heart thudded inside of his chest as he saw the steel fall to the floor. Ozai stepped up to the Avatar and snickered. Aang's eyes widened and he felt the powers inside of him being drawn away. There was nothing he could do about it. The Neutra Jewel and the Jade Jewel were both glinting into his eyes. His body began to feel weak and he whimpered. His only weapons of attack were gone. There was no water in the room, and there was no fire. Suddenly, Ozai fell to the floor with a thud as Aang pushed him down with a clever positioning of his blazing fire attack. His arms came back to his sides and he placed them on the staff. Ozai growled angrily and grabbed the jewels once more. He had tied them on two separate strings and he put them around his neck.

"That was clever Avatar, but I won't underestimate you again!"

Suddenly Aang heard a rustling nearby and then he realized that Zuko was stirring. His thoughts were closed in on his and then Zuko connected to him.

"_You have to break the jewels with the opposite element!"_

"_But how do I do that if they are both opposites?"_

Ozai saw the same distant and concerned look on the Avatar's face as his son had before. Suddenly Aang's eyes flashed back to the Fire Lord, and he understood what was happening. Without a second glance, Ozai ran to his son and kicked him in the ribs. Zuko moaned and then his mouth fell open and he blacked out once again. Aang's fury began to boil inside of him again, and he thought of a way to get rid of at least one of the jewels. Before Ozai could turn around, Aang ran towards him and when he did turn, the first thing he saw was the staff flying right at him. The Fire Lord had no time to react and the crushing impact hit his chest. The Jade Jewel broke off into a million little glimmering pieces and Aang ducked behind a wall of steel that he had bended. Ozai's shocked expression didn't prepare him for what happened next.

Aang punched the steel that was in front of him numerous times, and then tiny balls of steel came pelting towards Ozai. He winced each time that it hit him, but then he regained his composure and began to send fireballs at each of the oncoming balls of steel. As this was happening, Ozai was completely dazed at the Avatar's skill. Steel wasn't even a part of the earth, so then how could he be bending it? Little did the Fire Lord know that the Avatar had learned to combine all elements as one. Through his training with Jeong-Jeong, Aang had practiced combining each of the elements. He punched the steel and the fire within it mixed with the power of earth bending. After many rounds of the attacks, Ozai missed one and it hit its target, the Neutra Jewel. The jewel didn't explode into little pieces and shards, but instead a white puff of smoke grew and Ozai looked down to see no jewels hanging around his neck.

"So, did you really think you could outsmart the Avatar?"

Ozai looked up but Aang wasn't there. He had skidded on his air scooter and flew around to Ozai's back. The air welled up and Ozai's head was covered in his robe. He yelled in frustration and suddenly felt a weight missing in his robe. Aang pulled out the fierce crimson ruby from its pouch and smiled.

"Looks like you're missing something."

Ozai's eyes bulged out when he saw the Carmine Jewel hanging from Aang's neck. He started to run towards him and screeched.

"You might have my bending, but I can still crush you!"

With one swift motion of his staff, Aang sent Ozai flying and he hit the wall with a loud boom. The Fire Lord fell to the ground and moaned, a hand on his head.

"It's time I finally saved the world."

Aang closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. All of the energy in the room came flowing towards his hands and a round ball of air formed. He smoothed his way around it adding shards of the steel and drawing the power of water from inside his body. It made its way through his veins and his fingertips, into the expanding ball of chi. Finally, as Aang took one last breath, he pushed the growing ball towards Ozai. The fireball blazed and twirled as it approached him. The sky above was becoming as bright as fire and he looked up longingly, but the Carmine was burning awesomely on the Avatar's chest and he could do nothing about it. The attack hit the wall where Ozai stood and a massive explosion occurred, sending Aang against the wall behind him. Clouds of gray smoke and debris filled the room and everything became quiet.

..:-:..

Aang woke up and pushed himself up so that he was standing. He put a hand to his head and shook it.

"What just happened?"

He looked around the Fire Lord's room and gasped. Everything looked like a battle had just occurred, and then he remembered the defining moment when he defeated Ozai. He was nowhere to be found and Aang knew that he was truly gone, in body and in spirit. Aang stumbled through the piles of debris and finally came to Zuko. He shook him vigorously and Zuko began to stir. Aang helped him up and then he put his hands to his ribs.

"Is it over?" Zuko asked after clenching his jaw and wincing.

"Yes, it is over."

The first thing that came to Zuko's mind was the woman in blue.

"Where's Katara?"

"I think she's beyond that pile of debris, let's go look."

Aang helped Zuko stand up and he gave him his staff so he could use it for support. When they reached the other side of the rubble, Zuko saw Katara's still form just as he had seen after she went down. Her hair was sprawled all over her face and he knelt down beside her instantly, throwing away Aang's staff. Aang picked it up and saw Zuko pull the hair out of her face. He looked away and sighed.

"Katara, can you hear me? Get up, it's over. Aang defeated my father."

He pushed her a little bit but she fell back to the same position. Zuko swallowed hard and then tried shaking her again.

"Katara, wake up, please wake up."

But the more he moved her, the more lifeless she seemed and then Zuko's heart began to beat faster. His head pounded and his fists flamed with fury. Her head rolled off of his lap and onto the floor. Aang stood near them and saw tears stream down Zuko's face. His golden eyes looked straight at the wall and he gritted his teeth angrily as he wept.

"She's _gone_… I can't believe… I shouldn't have opened that blasted door!"

Zuko slammed his fists into the ground and then he put his head down next to Katara's. He held it in his hands and pulled her close to his abdomen. Zuko rocked back and forth as the tears kept coming down his face. Inside he felt like the pain his father had inflicted on him was nothing compared to the heart wrenching agony he felt at the loss of the person he loved. It didn't matter that his father was gone, the only thing he wanted more than anything else was for her beautiful blue eyes to open once again and for her to greet him with that loving smile she always had. In the past few weeks he had grown so much with her by his side. She had become a part of him, and now he felt empty and gone himself. The small voice of the Avatar interrupted his thoughts and Zuko looked up at him with calm eyes. The tears stopped flowing and he blinked curiously.

"Do you love her?"

Zuko was astounded that the small boy would be asking him that kind of question, but it made him think about the way he really felt. Aang's voice was filled with sadness and his eyes gleamed as he looked at Katara's limp body.

"Yes, I love Katara."

Aang turned away and closed his eyes. He couldn't deny the truth any longer; he had seen the way she had looked at Zuko and deep down, Aang knew that she had never looked at him like that. Zuko had just confirmed the emotions the two of them shared and he realized that she never loved him they way he had loved her. Zuko looked back down at Katara's gentle, calm face and the tears began to flow once again. His vision was blurry and the droplets of water fell onto her face.

"It's all my fault she is gone… all my fault!"

Suddenly, Aang felt an extraordinary surge of power. He looked up to the sky and saw that the orange and red flames surrounding the moon vanished within a second and the moonlight disappeared. The blazing white fire of the comet came into the view of the pitch-black sky and Zuko looked up to the Avatar with wonder. His eyes and tattoos began to glow and it was then that Zuko realized how powerful the Avatar was. Aang raised his hands towards the comet and streaks of white light shot down into his hands. Zuko put Katara's head down carefully and then he stood up, backing away towards the wall. After a few minutes, Aang turned towards Zuko and he whimpered slightly. It seemed as if he was going to attack him.

But he didn't. Instead, the Avatar stepped forward towards Katara's dead body and he knelt beside it. He closed his eyes and raised his hands, making alternating circles coming away from his body. Then he stopped and put his hands on Katara's forehead. The bright power swept into her body and the Avatar's tattoos began to dim. Suddenly, a white hazy mist started to form around them and it grew towards the top of the room. Zuko had to kneel down and shield his body. When the mist left, Zuko opened his eyes and saw that the moon had appeared in the sky and the comet was nowhere to be seen. He looked around through the shadows and then spotted Katara lying right where she had been before. The Avatar was nowhere to be found, and Zuko rushed to her immediately. When he reached her, his whole body went numb as she began to stir and cough.

Zuko knelt down and helped her sit up. She stopped coughing and then he saw her blue eyes shining at him. He hugged her tightly and the tears fell down his cheeks. Katara wrapped her arms around him and took in the scent of Zuko's burned robes. She pulled away and reached her hand to his cheek. He felt her fingers brush away his tears and she smiled.

"Why are you crying? Didn't Aang defeat Ozai?"

He nodded and then closed his eyes, a lump forming in his throat. The Avatar had given Katara life, and she was once again in his arms. It was incredible, and bittersweet at the same time. The world's peacemaker was gone. He had given up his life in order to save the person Zuko loved. Suddenly, he felt that familiar childish voice ringing in his head.

"Zuko, don't tell her what I did. Promise me. It will be our little secret…"

"_I promise… thank you Aang…"_

The Avatar's presence was gone and he felt Katara's hands lift his head up. Katara looked at him worriedly and her voice began to shake.

"Zuko, where's Aang?"

All he could do was smile sadly and the overwhelming realization came to her with a magnificent blow. The tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Zuko pulled her into him and she grabbed onto his shoulders, her fingers curling into his robe. Her body shook with each sob and the two of them sat there, taking in the victory and the loss the night had given them.

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**A/N:** This chapter must have been the hardest chapter I've EVER written for a fic. It took me two days because I know that writing action is my weak point, so please don't flame me if this chapter was terrible, I know it was. All I can do is just _hope_ that you didn't think so… because I always try to make the things I write decent at least :) Sigh… I still can't believe I finished this… it was so hard to write! Lol okay, so what is left? The epilogue, that is right! (even though there was no prologue, I know, I know) xD 

Okay then, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I want to thank you for reading and I hope you have an awesome rest of your day!

-Monika-


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15- Epilogue **

The morning after the death of Fire Lord Ozai and Avatar Aang left a sting in the air. It hovered quietly above everyone's heads and no one understood what had really happened. Only Zuko, the future Fire Lord himself, knew the entire story. As for Katara, she believed that Aang had died shortly after defeating Ozai. It was the only believable story Zuko could think of. He had made a promise to the Avatar; he wasn't going to break it, no matter what.

After the battle, Zuko had carried Katara out of rubble and into a spare room close by. He laid her down on the soft comfortable bed, but as he turned to leave, she stretched her arms out towards him and whimpered. Sorrow dawned inside of his eyes and he made his way back towards the bed. Katara wrapped her arms around him and fell asleep with her head on his chest, Zuko stroking her hair calmly.

It was a rude awakening, but he had to expect it to happen. Fire blazed above their heads, causing Zuko and Katara to wake up instantly as the warmth spread itself in front of their faces. She stood breathing heavily in the doorway and she pointed her finger at the pair, her eyes bloodshot and her face cringed with agony and denial.

"What … have… you… _done?_"

Azula crept inside of the room and Zuko stood up from the bed rolling his eyes at her. She laughed manically and lunged at him, grabbing his robe and looking up at him, amber to golden eye.

"Where is father? Tell me now!"

Her grip loosened as Katara stepped next to Zuko and stated the truth as a matter of fact.

"Azula, he is dead. Aang defeated him last night."

She shook her head violently, and as she took each step backwards, her eyes grew larger, the denial expanding throughout her body. Her father could not be dead.

"No, you are lying! Both of you are lying! The Fire Lord is _not _dead!"

Zuko smirked and watched his weak sister squirm in the frame of the door.

"Actually, you are right Azula. The Fire Lord isn't dead."

Her mouth twitched into a large smile and her face lit up.

"Ha! I knew it! Where is he?"

"You're looking right at him Azula. Zuko is going to be the new Fire Lord."

Her smile vanished instantly and she began to tremble. Azula's body began to shake uncontrollably. Suddenly she made a dash away from the room.

"Guards! Take her to the prison cell!"

Zuko's command was met at once and even though they couldn't see her, both Zuko and Katara heard Azula's frustrated yells. Zuko turned to Katara and motioned for her to stay in the room. He walked out of it to where Azula was struggling to free herself from the guard's grip. She turned on Zuko with fury.

"You won't get away with this Zuko! I'll get father back and we will take you _all_ down!"

He sighed and then took something out of his pocket. Zuko cautiously stepped behind Azula while the guards restrained her. She felt something thin slip around her neck and then the weight rested on her neck. Zuko stepped back admiring the stone on his sister.

"Will someone get a straight jacket? Put her in a cell so that she's isolated."

He began to walk away when she called after him.

"Zuko! What did you just put on my neck?"

He continued to walk and smirked. The Carmine Jewel was the only one left and maybe it was a good thing it wasn't destroyed. It went well with Azula's crazed amber eyes. Zuko walked back into the room and shut the door. Katara was sitting on the bed looking out the window. The sun was rising higher and higher in the sky; it would be noon soon. The night's events had taken a toll on her body, but she felt well rested. She looked up when she felt Zuko's arm around her shoulder. For a while silence radiated through the room but then her whispers diced the air.

"I never thought it would end like this."

He sat down on the bed and then looked at her with confusion.

"How do you mean?"

Katara looked down at the floor and sighed.

"Everyone is gone Zuko. All of our loved ones; both of our mothers, your uncle, my brother, and the Avatar is gone too."

He pulled her in close to him and she rested her hand on his shoulder.

"It's not fair. The world lives in peace, but we live in sorrow. And as for the duty my brother told me about, I don't think I did anything special. I passed out during the battle and let the two of you down! Maybe if I hadn't I could have saved him…"

Zuko rocked her in his arms slowly and shushed her. They heard a bird chirping outside and then a smile lit up Zuko's face. Katara looked at him puzzled.

"Katara, do you hear that?"

"Yes, it's a bird."

He stepped up to the window and opened it slightly. The fresh air came blowing inside of the room and Katara shivered.

"Do you feel that too? The world has been reborn Katara. Even though Aang is gone, he still lives on each day. And who knows, maybe you still have something to do that is still unaccomplished."

She walked up next to him and took a deep breath and exhaled, taking away all of the negative aspects of her life. Katara smiled at Zuko and kissed him gently. She was very lucky that she still had him in her life. Suddenly as she pulled away from his arms, she had a feeling of lightness in her body, as if she could float on the air. She giggled at the sensation and then Zuko's face shined with happiness when he saw the smile on her face again.

"Zuko, I feel new too! It's like I'm getting a second chance or something…"

She started to dance around the room laughing to herself. As Zuko observed, he couldn't help to think what it would be like without her in his life. He would be alone, no one to come and bring a smile to his face like she did. Suddenly she pulled Zuko close to her and she twirled around him joyously. Life was starting to seem just a bit better.

..:-:..

A few days later, the news had spread all around the world. The Avatar had defeated Fire Lord Ozai, and Prince Zuko was to take his place on the throne. Many people doubted his stature and they didn't want another war to start, but rumors spread that he was courting a woman from the water tribe and that they might soon wed. It was just a few days later when it happened. Zuko and Katara were outside in the gardens, admiring the beautiful nature that was hidden among the masses of steel. Zuko had thought about it for a long time, and he had no idea how to do it. Sometimes he had wished that his uncle was back with him because he knew about these kinds of things.

"Hey Zuko! Look at this one! It's so pretty! The petals are delicate though! Oh and it smells so nice too!"

He watched her pick the flower and inhale its scent. As the days passed on, she began to look more beautiful. Zuko couldn't have thought of a better opportunity than this. He stepped up to her slowly and she turned to him with a wide smile.

"Here! It's sort of like a combination of a rose and a tulip!"

Zuko put his arm around her waist and took the flower with his free hand. He sniffed it and then smiled. Her blue eyes shined with happiness and then he put the flower under her nose. She tried to wriggle away and she laughed as he did this to her.

"Zuko! Stop it! I'm going to sneeze!"

He dropped the flower and then put his finger under her nose. Her head jerked back a few times but then she sighed. The sneeze had been averted. Zuko put his hand through her loose hair and leaned his forehead on hers.

"I love you so much Katara."

She smiled warmly and then brought his face into hers. His lips were smooth against hers and she closed her eyes, taking in everything about him. Even though she had suffered so much in her life, it was all right because she had him by her side. He pulled his head away slightly and then looked into her eyes seriously.

"Katara, can I ask you something?"

She nodded and then he took her hand.

"I know you prefer necklaces, but you see, in the Fire Nation, men usually make bracelets."

Zuko took a small trinket out of his robes and her mouth dropped open as he began to tie it around her wrist. The strap was made out of black leather, and the pendant was a dazzling combination of red and blue. She picked up her head and looked at him, her eyes shining with tears.

"Will you uh… you know… um…"

A lump formed in his throat and he looked away nervously. Suddenly, Zuko felt Katara's arms around him, her lips pressing against his. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her back and deepened the kiss. When they pulled apart, her smile was brighter than the sun itself. The fireflies reflected in her eyes and the world seemed to stand still around them.

"Of course I will be your wife Zuko."

..:-:..

The ceremony was quite different than its precedent. Instead of white drapes and sorrowful flames, the death of Fire Lord Ozai was celebrated among the citizens of the Fire Nations. Many of the families had lost husbands and sons in the war, despite the fact that the fire nation was winning the war. Instead, bright red and deep blue colors ran through the halls of the palace and outside everyone came in anticipation of the day's events. It was the beginning of a new era in the world. Peace would reign for a long time to come, because two people would make sure of that.

Zuko came out in a dazzling red and gold robe while Katara stood next to him wearing the finest blue silk gown that the fire nation owned. The crowd cheered as their new leaders were crowned in front of their eyes. Zuko stood up and everyone silenced themselves. He looked at Katara and she nodded smiling.

"Citizens of the Fire Nation, ever since I was a young boy, I dreamed of ruling this great nation and its people. Along the way, I realized that the previous leader was taking this country in the wrong direction. I am here to announce today that this day marks the beginning of a renewed life to all of you, myself included."

He looked to his new wife and beckoned her to him. She stood up gracefully but walked over towards him timidly. The crowd was enormous; she still couldn't believe that she was the queen of the Fire Nation.

"This is my new Lady as is she _your_ new Lady. May I present the lovely Lady Katara from the water tribe! May our union be a symbol to the world that better times lie ahead!"

At first not many people cheered, but Zuko put his arm around her shoulder and then she smiled and waved to everyone.

"I want you all to know that I will do my best to lead your nation, _my_ nation, so that its reputation is restored!"

At this comment everyone roared and clapped loudly for their new leaders. They walked inside and Zuko took her in his arms. He kissed her adoringly and then put his hand through her hair.

"You are truly magnificent you know that?"

She shook her head and laughed.

"No I'm not. Did you hear yourself Zuko? You are beyond doubt a great leader. I know you will make me proud."

She kissed him lightly and then wrapped her arms around him with a sigh. What could be better than this?

..:-:..

A year had passed since the fateful summer of Sozin's comet. Many had moved on and started new lives. The fire nation began to prosper not only in regaining its status as a peaceful nation, but as an economic trader with the earth kingdom. King Bumi was still in charge of Omashu and with his help, Katara and Zuko negotiated agreements that would last for many generations to come.

But that wasn't the only good news. Katara's stomach became fuller each month and by now Zuko could press his ear against her belly and hear the baby kick. She smiled at her husband when he would jump away with excitement on his face. One night as they were going to bed, Zuko kissed her goodnight and he extinguished the candles around their bed. Suddenly they flickered back on as a dreadful cry pierced his ears. Katara held her stomach in pain and her face winced. Sweat shined on her face and she looked at Zuko desperately.

"It's coming Zuko! Get the maids, get someone!"

Another cry came and Zuko panicked. He didn't think that the baby would come this soon. As he covered his ears he ran out into the halls and saw that many of the servants were already out of their beds and walking down the hall towards the echoes of the screams.

"She's giving birth! Katara is going to have a baby!"

At the news everyone's faces lit up and they began to organize themselves. Zuko stood amazed as buckets of water and numerous blankets kept coming in and out of their bedroom. He paced up and down the hall and each time he heard her yell he winced. His heart raced but he didn't think he could stand being in there. Suddenly he heard his name and knew that he was meant to be by his wife's side.

"Zuko! ZUKO!"

He rushed inside and his eyes widened to see the white sheets of the bed stained in dark red. She saw his figure and breathed a sigh of relief. Katara reached for his hand and he kissed her forehead lovingly. Zuko pushed her hair out of her face and stroked her cheek.

"It's all right Katara. It will be all right in a while."

Suddenly she looked away and shut her eyes. The maids began to nod to one another and Zuko looked at them for advice.

"The baby will be out shortly."

He held onto her hand for dear life as she squeezed it with all of her might. For some reason, as Zuko looked at the maids, a bright light emitted from Katara and spread throughout the room. Zuko couldn't believe what he had witnessed, but it seemed like no one else had paid any attention. Suddenly, a high pitched cry resounded and Katara sighed with relief. The baby had been born.

Zuko looked at Katara and kissed her face.

"You did it."

She smiled and laughed, the pain finally gone. The maids returned with a bundle and they smiled as they handed it to Katara.

"Congratulations! It's a baby girl!"

For a split second, Zuko frowned. He had sincerely hoped it would be a boy, but then he looked down at his daughter, her sparkling blue eyes blinking for the first time, and his heart melted. Katara's face streamed with soft tears as she caressed her daughter's small head. Zuko put his arm around her and she sighed happily.

"Zuko, look at her, she is beautiful."

He smiled and put his head on top of hers.

"Yes she is, but she's not as beautiful as her mother."

Katara looked up at him and he kissed her on the lips warmly. She pulled away and looked back down at her daughter.

"What do you want to name her my Lord?"

A curious maid had stepped up and Zuko smiled.

"That isn't my decision, I will let Katara think of her name. I will wait for another."

The three of them laughed quietly and then Katara began to think.

"Would it be all right if we named her after my grandmother Zuko?"

"Sure. But wouldn't that be a bit…"

"Yes, you are right. I can just imagine her complaints… maybe we should just switch it up a bit! Hmm… Kana… Kana… Kana… I know! She shall be named Ranna."

Zuko smiled down at his wife and at his daughter, now named Ranna. While more and more maids came into the room, he began to feel uneasy about that white light he had seen. It had only been for a mere second or two, but there was something about it that wasn't right.

..:-:..

Five years seemed to pass by as if it were only five months. Ranna had brought joy to Zuko and Katara each day. Her soft black hair resembled that of her father, yet her blue eyes sparkled with ferocity just like her mother's. It was no wonder when Ranna began to display interest in both water and fire bending, after all, she was the daughter of the two most well known benders in the world. During that time, Katara had given birth to a healthy baby boy, and Zuko was thrilled. Hori was his name and it didn't take the two of them long to figure it out. For some reason, the couple liked switching names around, because originally they wanted to name their son after uncle Iroh, so naturally they spelled his name backwards to get a brand new name.

But within the joy of the newborn son, Zuko still felt more attached to his daughter. He would spend a lot of time with her, even though he was busy with Fire Nation matters. As he observed her each day, he couldn't help to think that she resembled someone he knew. It was as if she was floating around all the time, and she would always try to go near fire or near water. Zuko also realized that Katara had become more laid back. She was still as vibrant as ever, living life to the fullest with her new family, but that hint of youth was gone, just after the birth of Ranna.

It was five years after that day, on Ranna's fifth birthday when the messengers came. Zuko was ushered into a private room and they came in with smiles on their faces. He stood up and bowed as a sign of respect. There were four men, each wearing a different colored robe, and as Zuko observed, he realized that each represented a separate part of the world.

"Fire Lord Zuko, we have come today with important news."

"Yes, please sit down."

As the servants brought everyone a cup of tea, something Zuko thought of as a tradition and tribute to his late uncle, everyone began to relax. A fifth person entered the room with a big cotton bag.

"As you know, the previous Avatar has been missing ever since the day he defeated your father."

Zuko sat up straight and his heart began to race. He had told no one the secret of Katara's new life and that Aang had sacrificed his own for her.

"Yes, I am well aware of that."

"Well don't look so grim Fire Lord Zuko!"

"Please, just call me Zuko."

They nodded and proceeded.

"As it turns out, each of our temples are still lit and we have reason to believe that the Avatar must have been reborn."

"You see, we have traveled to both water tribes in search of the person who could be the new avatar, and we had no luck."

Zuko began to look confused and his thoughts wandered. Katara couldn't possibly be the next avatar.

"So you came here?"

"Of course. Your wife is a water bender, is she not?"

"Yes, but she's not the avatar!"

"Please calm down Zuko. We understand that to be true. But we must ask you to bring your children in here."

The person with the bag began to pull out numerous toys and Zuko's eyes widened. The door opened to reveal Ranna and Hori standing in front of him. She was only two years older than her brother, but already she seemed much wiser and cunning than he would ever be.

"Daddy? Why are these people… _toys!_"

Both she and her brother ran to the pile and began to sort through them. Zuko watched on speechless as Ranna began to select and reject some of the toys. First she had chosen a small turtle and then a small spinning drum. Next was a flying spinner and finally she had chosen a small tiger. Each of the men's faces lit up excitedly and Zuko dropped his mouth open in astonishment.

"Is it okay if I take these daddy?"

He smiled weakly and nodded. She ran up to him and gave him a hug.

"Thank you so much daddy! Come on Hori! Let's go!"

The two children walked away from the room and Zuko turned to the men with sadness in his heart. It all made sense now; the light that shined as Katara gave birth, the transition of her floating demeanor to her daughter, it was because the Avatar's spirit had been transformed into his daughter.

"Our search has ended! Ranna is the new avatar!"

Zuko closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.

"Are you positive?"

"Of course! She picked the relics of her previous lives. She is the world's new peacemaker."

He stood up furiously and the flames burning on the candles roared.

"I will not let her be the Avatar! I am not going to have my daughter live her life in danger because of this! I won't allow it."

The men looked at each other sadly and one of them sighed.

"We are sorry you feel this way, but you can be rest assured that the world is already living in peace. We believe there won't be a reason for her life to come into jeopardy."

Zuko turned around so that his back faced them all. He heard the bag of toys being taken away and then a shuffle of footsteps.

"We shall return on her sixteenth birthday. Until then, she is free to do as she pleases."

The door shut close and a tear spilled from the Fire Lord's eyes. His heart was overwhelmed by worry but worst of all was the sorrow. How was he to tell Katara the news? The door opened again and Zuko's temper flamed.

"I said get away! I don't want you in my palace anymore!"

Katara looked at his back in amazement and laughed.

"Really? What did I do? Walk around in the gardens too much?"

Zuko turned around sharply and saw her beautiful smile beaming at him. His mouth dropped and the anger in his face vanished. She stepped up closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He buried himself in her embrace and bit his tongue.

"Zuko, what's wrong? And who were those men? Whatever it is, just know that everything will be all right. I'm always here to help you."

She kissed his cheek softly and he stroked her hair. The news would surely kill her, but he had to do it.

"Katara, this might be a bit of a shock to you, so you might want to sit down."

She sighed and did as she was told.

"Whatever it is, I can handle it."

"It has to do with Ranna."

Katara looked up at him and her eyes widened with worry.

"Is she all right? Does someone want to hurt her? Who _were_ those men Zuko?"

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"They came here in search of the new Avatar."

His words sped at Katara's heart and right away she knew what had happened. Among the mixed emotions she held, a smile radiated on her lips.

"So Ranna is the new Avatar then?"

Zuko looked up at his wife in amazement.

"How did you figure it out?"

"Isn't it obvious Zuko? She can't help but play with fire and splash around in the water. She was always special and she will soon start learning both forms of bending."

She sighed deeply and put her hand on Zuko's arm.

"But what do we have to worry about?"

"What if something happens to her? What if she disappears…like Aang?"

He was still the only one who knew what the Avatar did and it was Zuko who knew that his daughter might one day do the same selfless deed. Katara put her arm around Zuko and patted his back.

"She is the avatar Zuko. She will learn all four styles of bending and with that she will be able to take care of herself. She practically does it already."

He smiled at his wife and kissed her warmly. She always felt so soft and her presence soothed his worried soul.

"You know I love you right?"

Katara giggled and leaned against her husband with her hand interlaced in his. His heartbeat pounded against her back and they sat together as they had for so many long years. The sun was beginning to set, like it always did, each and every day, but that evening it shined with an unbelievable brilliance. Katara sighed and smiled as Zuko's rough hand stroked her long hair.

"Of course you do."

**-THE END-

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**

**A/N:** Wow… that is the end of it then… I still can't believe it! 15 chapters and you keep reading on! I just can't thank you enough for all of the support you've given me throughout this fic and I'm so glad I could write a story you liked:D It really means so much to me! I know most of you will want a sequel, or will be sad that it's over, but this is where it ends…

But… there's always, ALWAYS, a new Zutara fic up my sleeves! ;) Some of you might have read "Captured Hearts" and at the end you wrote "Please right a sequel someday" well… that "day" is now… or in a couple of days anyways! I'm planning for it to turn into a trilogy (hopefully!) and the second book will be called EARTHBOUND so look for that soon!

Again, I want to thank you all so much! If it wasn't for you then this wouldn't have turned out how it did! HAVE AN AWESOME DAY! Until next time:)

-Monika-


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